


Unholy From The Start

by Cheezbuckets



Category: Kingdom Hearts
Genre: Abuse (not involving the main couple), Alternate Universe - Demons, Curses, Demon/Human Relationships, Falling In Love, Fictional Religion & Theology, Fluff and Hurt/Comfort, Frottage, Hand Jobs, M/M, Non-Human Genitalia, Rituals, Smut, Weddings
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-02-10
Updated: 2020-02-10
Packaged: 2021-02-28 03:40:03
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 1
Words: 42,256
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22647292
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Cheezbuckets/pseuds/Cheezbuckets
Summary: Axel relishes his solitude and prefers to stalk the woods near a small human city over being among other demons, especially when it leads him to meet a lovely human man named Roxas with a particular darkness in his soul. Due to his unholy soul, Roxas is consumed by mistreatment and isolation from his fellow humans, and Axel couldn't possibly resist him.
Relationships: Axel/Roxas (Kingdom Hearts)
Comments: 13
Kudos: 68





	Unholy From The Start

**Author's Note:**

> Inspired by the song Black Wedding by In This Moment.

His form was a twisted silhouette of deepest black among the crooked shadows of trees. His cloven hooves hardly gave a sound as they effortlessly picked a clear path through the forest debris. His hand thoughtlessly trailed over trunks and bushes, slender fingers finding the textures of bark and leaves.

The forest was not his home, but Axel had decided that it belonged to him, a place away from the petty struggles of his brethren, a place where he could roam to his heart's content, a place within the human realm to return to when he wasn't hunting. When he started to walk the paths they had trodden, the humans instinctively feared the forest and began to avoid it even though they didn't know why, which suited him fine, it meant he wouldn't be disturbed by their inconsequential squabbles when looking for time alone. If he grew bored of the company of animals and wasn't in the mood to stalk among the humans or be among fellow demons, he climbed the trees that overlooked a nearby city, and he watched the endless shifting of human lives.

He lounged laying along a high branch, watching the sparse flicker of lights from the buildings, seeking silhouettes cast against windows to break the monotony of watching empty streets, until a shape broke the stillness. He lifted his head to better watch the human that darted through the shadows between gas lamps and moonlight, no pursuer, no prey. As Axel cocked his head with eager curiosity, the human broke the line of buildings and began to run, headlong, heedless towards the forest.

Axel's nails scraped against the bark as his body tensed, coiling with excitement. With a blink, he was on the ground, weaving along the treeline to stay among the shadows as the human ran then slowed then stopped to slump against a tree and sit on the ground, face turned skyward.

A low, broken mumble of curses guided him even when the human was out of sight behind the foliage. His heart trembled and raced in anticipation as he breathed in the human's scent, welcoming the music of his anger-rough voice. Such a lovely human man, glowing golden beneath the silver of the radiant moon, soft and youthful features, hard and sharp expression. His eyes laid hidden under his delicately clenched lids.

"Lost?" Axel breathed as he crouched to crawl at the human's level, compressing the space between them.

The human jumped, eyes flying open, whirling towards the source of the voice.

"Don't be afraid." Axel grinned wildly, eyes glowing from the shadows of the deer skull worn on his head. "I'm just wondering what a darling little thing like you is doing out here in my woods."

After several strained seconds of silence, save the pounding of the human's heart thrumming in Axel's ears, the human exhaled, his shoulders slumped, spine relaxed, head sagged forward, no longer looking at Axel. His brow furrowed again, then he silently turned his face up towards Axel again.

Axel stopped when his hands laid on the ground next to the human's leg, and he cocked his head to match the human's. "Something wrong?" he asked, singsong.

The human frowned deeper as he sat up straight again, Axel mirroring him so their faces stayed even. "No."

"Hm." Axel waited a moment, but the human remained silent, eyes roving Axel's bare chest and inhuman legs, peering into the darkness obscuring his face. With a laugh, Axel sat back on his haunches, arms draped over his furred knees. "Are you sure? I'd be happy to help if you're in any trouble. Why else would a delicate little creature like you sneak out to the woods alone at night?" He leaned forward a little in his eagerness.

The human gave a low, breathy laugh, finally looking away from Axel and at the ground a ways in front of him. "Because I wanted to be alone," he muttered.

Axel was unable to stop himself from laughing again. "My mistake, I didn't mean to interrupt your alone time." Perching his elbow on his knee, he placed his chin in his hand and hummed. "It's just that your kind has long avoided this place for my presence. It seems like it would be an unappealing place to be alone if you're going to risk confronting unknown evils and be less alone."

A long breath of a sigh passed the human's lips, shoulders heaving but otherwise remaining in place. "It's not so much wanting to be alone, I guess, as wanting to be away from them." A hand flapped vaguely in the direction of the city.

"Oh?" Axel inched a bit closer, anticipation building again. "You wanted the company of unknown evils? Only the desperate seek that."

The human was silent again, long enough that Axel rolled his eyes, but before Axel could say anything more, the human looked at him again, up and down his body, before settling back on his face. "I've seen you before. My whole life." He laughed again, smirking as he shook his head, and Axel's grin fell away. "You hear some stories about someone's grandparent seeing the shadow of a monster decades ago, but no one seems to really know what creature lives in this forest." His brow furrowed, head cocking to one side, and Axel unthinkingly mirrored the action, watching him in enraptured silence. "But I've seen it. I've caught glimpses of a goat-legged man wearing a deer skull lurking in here for as long as I can remember."

Axel exhaled. "You've seen me?"

"I just said so, didn't I?" The human looked away again. "It's a bit of a relief to see it up close. It wasn't just my imagination creating horrors for myself. Though I suppose it doesn't really rule out the chance that I'm hallucinating." He rubbed an arm as he laughed wryly. "Either way, it's just another layer of proof that I'm cursed. Just like these woods." Closing his eyes tight, he sighed and leaned back into the tree behind him, face turned upwards.

"You've seen me," Axel repeated unthinkingly, inching forward and lifting his chin from his hand. Carefully, delicately, he placed the nail of his index finger against the human's chin and turned his face back towards him without skin contact. The human opened his eyes again, brows raised with surprise. He leaned even closer, angling his head so the nose of the skull wouldn't hit the human's head, staring into his eyes that grew wider, seeking sight of his soul visible from within his eyes. Darkness nearly invisible among the shadows of his pupils was as prominent as anything else. Blinking, Axel moved away, lowering his hand back to his own leg. "You are indeed unholy. But you know that, don't you?"

The human was silent, staring, heart audibly pounding again, but Axel waited this time, unmoving, as the human caught his breath and slowly relaxed again. "Uh-ye-yes." The human took a deep breath and licked his lips before tightly closing his eyes, finally relaxing again. His eyes anxiously darted from Axel's face to the ground several times. "That... That's why I wanted to get away from them."

"Poor little thing," Axel cooed as he grinned again, though he stayed relaxed. "They mistreat you for this sin?"

The human faced forward again. "Yes. All my life." He hugged himself, frowning.

"Do you blame me? I was unaware of you before tonight."

"No." The human gave a long sigh then shook his head. "I know seeing you was a symptom, not the cause. The priests knew from the moment I was born. It's just something that's a part of me. Nothing that can fix it."

"Poor thing," Axel repeated, placing a hand on the tree beside the human's head and leaning in once more. "You've been alone your whole life. You've suffered so much." He carefully placed his other hand on the sleeve of the human’s shirt to turn him slightly, making him shiver then squirm away as he looked back up. Axel gave a soothing smile. "You want it to end, don’t you? You wish to escape your cursed fate?”

The human gave a bold-faced laugh, straightening and smirking softly with a raised eyebrow. "The pain I've lived with isn't worth losing everything for.”

Axel felt his smile uncontrollably twist into a grin. "It's your choice. I can't do anything to you without your permission. What's your name?"

The human paused and narrowed his eyes, brow creasing. "What do you want with my name?"

"Call you by it." Axel's grin grew, and he gently tapped a nail against the human's chin. "A human's name has little power for me."

The human sighed then shrugged. "Roxas."

"Roxas." Axel closed his eyes, listening to how the name rung in the air. "My name is Axel."

Roxas laughed. "What would I want with your name?"

Axel grinned at him again, ignoring how much he wanted to cup Roxas' soft, round cheek in his hand. "Call me by it." He tapped his own ear. "I'll be listening. Whenever, wherever you say it, I will hear, and I will come visit you."

Smile slowly falling, Roxas frowned. "Why would you do that?"

"Because I feel sorry for you; little unholy soul all alone, mistreated by your kind." Axel made his grin softer, his expression more kind. "I like helping poor, hurt humans such as yourself."

Roxas snorted and smirked. "I'm sure you do."

Axel shifted and sat down, leaning against the tree as well, continuing to stare at the side of the human's head. "I do. I really do." He wanted to touch his hand, rub his arm, play with his hair, but, no, he would wait. He could wait. He wanted to hold up the anticipation of mystery. A soul like this wasn't worth rushing to take, damaging with force.

He watched Roxas stare back at the houses, measured the rise and fall of his breaths, the flick of eyelids blinking, the delicate flutter of pulse in his neck. He breathed in the aura of his scent, laced with that of dust and dirt and soot. Hands rough, clothes stained and worn, he plainly wore the low status his soul gave him among these humans. Axel longed to look into his eyes again, to measure the ratio of light to dark, to see if the fringes of Roxas' self were as ragged as the mask of flesh and cloth cloaking his shoulders, but he didn't move.

Then Roxas softly sighed, ran a hand over his face, wordlessly stood, then walked back the way he had come from.

Silently snickering, Axel watched, thoughtfully putting a hand to his mouth.

He would get a chance to see what he wanted. He could be patient, and Roxas was only human.

Axel's life continued, but now distracted as he kept his attention on the city regardless of where he went, keeping a part of him on the edge of those woods when he was not fully there, listening, waiting. Even stalking a soul freshly tormented by sin, he just followed instinct to find and follow it rather than hunting down one that would feel worth it, instead of enjoying the hunt. He needed to be ready for the moment Roxas gave in, so he didn’t have the time to wait and watch the distraught human degenerate, and felt particularly impatient. Even distracted, though, watching the human’s body break and seizing the soul as he felt it lose its ties to the mortal plane and fade to Hell was deeply satisfying.

He didn't want to go to Hell himself for the moment and risk being around any of his fellows who would notice his split attention; he didn't want to be bothered with questions or curiosity, and he would not allow anyone who may be interested in seeking out Roxas for themselves to catch hint that there was something worth paying attention to.

He had returned to the woods, standing silent and relaxed with his eyes closed, recalling everything he had seen when looking at Roxas, when he heard it, a breathy whisper in the air.

"Axel."

Eyes flying open, his body stiffened, grin stretching across his face, then he closed his eyes to pinpoint the origin of the ripple of sound, travelling slowly, invisibly, into the city until he looked up at an open window with a golden figure leaning against the sill. Biting his thumb to try to hold back his excitement, he moved into the room in which Roxas stood.

"You called?"

Roxas jumped and whirled around, grabbing the edge of the window, eyes wide. "How di-" He cut himself off then shook his head and exhaled, body relaxing. His brow wrinkled as he looked at Axel, moving slightly away from the window. "I guess I shouldn't be surprised that you really did hear me."

Axel laughed. “I told you I’d be listening, didn’t I?”

“I was wondering if I was just imagining things, but you really are a demon.” It wasn’t spoken with scorn, accusation, fear. Roxas looked down at the floor.

“I am.” Axel slowly walked towards him, hooves gentle against the wooden floor, hesitating, watching him. “Why did you call me? Anything I can do to help you?”

Roxas was silent a moment then wiped his eyes, leaving a streak of wetness across the back of his hand, before taking two steps forward and leaning into Axel’s chest, making him freeze with shock. Axel was immediately hit by the turmoil of emotions, the anger, the hurt, the misery, within Roxas. “I don’t know. I don’t care,” Roxas muttered. “Maybe I just want to be around someone who doesn’t cringe away from me. I don’t know.”

Eyes drifting shut, Axel exhaled slowly. “You poor thing,” he whispered, lifting his arms to lightly rest around Roxas’ shoulders, carefully placing a hand so it touched the bare skin at the base of his neck, wary of frightening him off. He restrained a shiver of delight and watched the images playing behind Roxas’ eyelids; hauling a bucket of water for cleaning, getting bumped into by the house’s mistress, how she screamed and scrambled away and stared at her hand where she had touched him, frantically sopping up the spilled water while listening to her servants come running to check on her, the yelling:

“Are you alright, Mistress?”

“Did he hurt you!”

“My-my hand! He touched my hand!”

“Mistress!”

“Oh, Mistress!”

“How dare you!”

“Come, Mistress, we’ll go to the priest! It’ll be alright!”

“Y-you stay here and make sure he returns to his room and-and lock the door! Make sure it’s locked! Oh, goodness, I feel faint!”

“Mistress, you’ll be okay!”

Tense, breathless silence as he tried to hurry cleaning the floor. He could feel the remaining servant glaring at him, seething, terrified, caught glimpses of her ashen face and furious gaze, holding her own hands close to her body, leaning away from him.

How the lock sounded when it snapped shut, bolting him into his room. The physical burn of rage and hurt in his gut and behind his eyes.

Even now, beneath his skin, his body ached and burned with emotion.

Axel felt the damp of tears against his chest. Softly biting his lip to restrain his smile, he lightly stroked the tousled hair below his chin. “How awful for you.”

Roxas flinched slightly but stayed in place. “This doesn’t mean I trust you,” he muttered, unmoving, face out of sight. “You just want to get to me.”

Axel was unable to stop himself from laughing. “Now, what have I done to deserve these accusations?”

“You haven’t done anything to make me think otherwise. You’re a demon. How can I trust you acting kind when I know you just want to take my soul?”

Laughing, Axel gently pushed Roxas away and leaned over until Roxas looked up to meet his eyes. “You’re a clever little thing.” He tilted his head to and fro, trying to see more of Roxas’ soul from within his eyes, but Roxas’ eyes were guarded now, invisibly veiled by his intense emotions. “I admit, from what I can see, your soul is incredibly tempting. There’s traces of Hell itself within you.” He reached for Roxas’ cheek—no use in avoiding contact now—but Roxas flinched away with a tired glare.

“If you want me to trust you, you need to tell me exactly what you’re doing to me, got it? I know you get something out of touching me. You were avoiding it last time.”

“Clever, clever human.” With a snicker, Axel quickly grabbed Roxas’ chin and gave him a gentle shake then quickly let go and stepped back as Roxas’ lip curled up into a snarl. “Skin-to-skin, I can feel what you’re feeling, see what’s in your mind.”

Roxas curled his nose a bit with a wrinkle between his eyebrows, folding his arms across his chest and leaning away. “You’re prying into my mind?”

Axel smirked and shrugged, half-turning and putting a hand on one of the wooden posts of the bed at the side of the small room. “I can’t help it, it’s like feeling things against my skin.” He rubbed it, the rough texture and worn edges. “Even if I’m not paying attention to what’s there, I still feel it. And if there’s something sharp, it’s hard to ignore. I didn’t want to rush into prying to see what you want, but you touched me first.”

“Hm. Yeah.” Roxas looked at him a moment longer then walked past him, bumping him out of the way to sit on the bed.

Axel raised his chin slightly. “If you’re clever enough to suspect, why did you so carelessly touch me without even giving me a chance to stop you?”

Roxas looked at him silently for a minute then puffed out a sigh. “I was curious. It was a test.” Axel could almost taste the hint of a lie in the air, but he decided not to press, to be gentle and feign trust in the human. Roxas leaned back against the plain grey wall and stared at his knees while Axel watched him. After a minute, Roxas finally looked at him again. “If you’re at all serious about wanting to help me, you can sit down. I know you’ll just want to help me to help yourself but...” He sighed and shrugged. “I’m going to die one day, right? Eventually someone’s going to get my soul. If you want it, work for it. Make me trust you, and maybe I will.”

Axel cocked his head and arched an eyebrow. “Huh.” He turned to smoothly sit then lay down on his stomach, gazing up at Roxas with a grin. “Losing your feistiness, are you? Don’t tell me I’m getting to you already.”

Roxas snorted. “You wish.” He again leaned his head back and closed his eyes. “I just don’t have anything better to do with my cursed soul. Might as well use it in exchange for some company.”

Biting his lip softly, Axel squirmed a bit, aching to touch Roxas again, so he slowly, carefully shifted so that he didn’t disturb the creaky bed below the both of them and reached out his hand, hesitating just a moment before placing it on top of Roxas’.

Roxas jumped and looked down at him and snatched his hand away with a glare.

Axel looked up, no longer smiling. He had to gulp, the impression of the deep, agonizing loneliness still clenching around his heart. “I’ve felt a lot of human pain, but yours is something different...” Not necessarily worse than the worst heartbreak or grief or trauma, but still shockingly intense.

Brow furrowing, jaw tightening, Roxas glared in silence for several seconds before looking sharply away and sighing through his nose. “If I tell you to leave, will you have to obey?”

Axel released a soft laugh. “I don’t *have* to, but I will.”

Shifting where he sat, Roxas took a deep breath then sighed again. “Then go away. I don’t like you sneaking glances into my head like that. Makes me want to trust you even less.”

Heavily exhaling as he pushed himself upright, Axel sighed and smiled crookedly. “Alright.” A set-back, perhaps, but not one he was willing to give up over. He turned to the far wall.

“Um!”

Startled, he stopped before he could leave and looked back.

Roxas was looking at his own knees, brow still furrowed, becoming a little red. “I’ll say your name again when I want company again... So pay attention if you want to come back.”

Unable to stop himself, Axel grinned and laughed. “I’ll always be paying attention.”

Heart lighter, he returned to the forest and spent the rest of the day and night pacing through the foliage and watching the town. After he came down from his elation, though, the memory of Roxas’ loneliness took hold of him again, filling his thoughts, making his chest peculiarly tight, and making him unable to stand still. He needed to see more, feel more of what Roxas contained other than pain.

His impatience and distress made the animals he shared the forest with unusually skittish of him, making the echo of Roxas’ loneliness seize an even tighter hold on him. Loneliness. It had been a long, long time since he had experienced it himself. He liked being alone, he preferred it, lavished in it. It was before he knew who he was that he ached for company, yet the shock of the hurt of an unholy human had reawaken it. Despite his long-since solidified sense of self, he worried he could lose it.

Then, he would silently scold himself for thinking such nonsense, for letting a simple human’s emotions get to him, but then a flock of birds—who ordinarily ignored his presence and sang even as he sat in the same tree as him—would take to frightened flight at the sight of him, and the pain would return.

Fortunately, only a few days passed in such a state before he heard Roxas’ voice whispering his name.

His heart soared out of the gloom it had sunk into, and he wasted no time going straight back to Roxas’ room.

Roxas sat on the bed, loosely hugging his knees. “You were faster this time,” he remarked quietly, looking up.

Axel grinned and immediately sat on the bed, pushing himself close to Roxas’ side, leaning forward on his hands. “I know where you are now. The first time, I had to follow the sound of your voice.”

“What if I called for you from somewhere else?”

“Then I’d hear that you were somewhere else and find you there.”

“Hm.” Roxas went quiet, absently twirling a loose thread at his knee where the fabric had been torn and sewn back together. He jerked his head suddenly towards the door. “There are guests tonight, so I had to come back early.”

“They locked you in again?” Axel looked at the plain wooden door, focused so he heard distant chatter and laughter, the odd scratch of recorded music and clink of dinnerware.

Roxas gave a flat laugh. “I’m always locked up when I get brought back here.”

Sighing, Axel smiled and moved so he sat facing Roxas, leaning over onto one hand that sat on the threadbare blanket close to Roxas’ hips. “Then how did you get out on the night we met?”

With a faint smile, Roxas wordlessly gestured to the window.

Axel cocked an eyebrow. “Seems like a dangerous fall for something like you.”

“There’s enough handholds I managed not to fall too far and could find a way back up.” He shrugged. “And what if I did fall? If I got hurt badly and they realized that I was willing to slip out the window, they’d just lock it, and I’d be stuck in here same if I never tried.” With a sigh, Roxas shook his head. “Anyway, I just wanted to point out that we need to make sure to be quiet. Don’t want anyone hearing us.”

Eyebrow raised, Axel shrugged. “Under normal circumstances, normal humans can’t see or hear me unless I want to reveal myself to them.”

Roxas shrugged again. “I still need to be quiet. Don’t want them to hear me talking to myself and think I’m conversing with evil spirits.” He gave a wry smile and a hollow laugh.

“What do they expect if they won’t let you converse with nice, normal humans such as themselves?” With a smile, Axel reached to touch Roxas’ cheek, but Roxas quickly scowled at his hand and smacked it away.

“When did I say you could just read my mind?” he growled.

Axel snickered and shrugged. “I just wanted to touch you. Touching isn’t all about connecting with a human’s mind.”

“Well, according to you, it’s still part of it. You haven’t earned my trust yet.”

“Aw, not even a little?” Axel grinned more and leaned in closer.

Roxas clucked his tongue as he sneered slightly. “You’re a demon who wants my soul, and we’ve only spoken three times. No.”

“Aw.” Axel pushed himself a little closer. “What can I do?”

Roxas’ expression slowly relaxed, gazing silently into Axel’s eyes. “Show some trust in me. Can you tell a mere human about yourself, about demons?”

Smile becoming crooked, Axel shrugged. “I can. And I don’t mind doing it, as long as it’s nothing too dangerous for you to know.”

Roxas chuckled and smiled at his knees. “Now you’ve got me curious.” He slightly relaxed where he sat then looked at Axel once more. “What can you tell me about Hell?”

“Ooh, you jump right in, don’t you?” Axel pointedly grinned, and Roxas smiled a little more as he shrugged. Axel sat back a bit and sighed. “Well, what do you want to know? That’s like you having to talk about Earth. It’s much larger than even I could ever see every part of.”

“Well, is it really all fire and brimstone and all that stuff I’ve been told?”

“Not all. Depends on where you are.” Reluctantly deciding to relax, Axel sighed as he leaned away from Roxas then laid on his back, hands knitted behind his head, deer skull tilting to cover more of his face. “Some places are all ice and bitter cold, some are impenetrable darkness and a damp chill, and everywhere in between is barren rocks and howling winds. Though, of course, there could be far more I’ve never heard of.” He tilted his head to look at Roxas with a grin. “But where I reside, there is as much magma as stable ground, pits of flame are always glowing, and swirling smoke paints the air a striking mix of firelight and shades of grey that could never be seen on Earth.”

Roxas chuckled and leaned back against the wall, closing his eyes. “Sounds like you got a good deal.”

Closing his eyes as well, Axel’s grin grew. “Oh? If you give me possession of your soul, I can promise you will go there. If you leave it up to chance, I’m afraid there’s no way of guaranteeing where your soul will end up when you die.”

Roxas laughed, and his leg momentarily touched Axel’s before jerking away. “Thanks, but I’ll leave it up to chance. I assume that, as a demon, heat doesn’t really affect you, but as a mortal, burning for all eternity sounds unpleasant, to say the least. If I had a choice, I think I’d rather go with the darkness. Seems peaceful enough.”

Axel gave a low laugh, teeth bared. “Only because you don’t know what’s in the dark.”

“Oh?”

The question made Axel open his eyes to see Roxas staring down at him with unwavering curiosity. Axel snickered and closed his eyes again. “I’m afraid, for a mortal soul, none of the options are remotely kind.”

Roxas was silent as he edged a little closer, leg pressed lightly against Axel’s now, heartbeat clearly audible. Axel imagined moving his leg until he brushed against bare skin, then Roxas sighed. “You’re not going to tell me what’s in the dark places, are you?”

Grinning and snickering, Axel shook his head.

Roxas huffed and moved away. “That figures. You mention something that seems interesting, and you clam up.”

“Oh, you don’t know what a description of those things could do to your delicate little mind.” Axel easily sat back up, righting the skull on his head so he could still see Roxas, and Roxas looked at him again, silent, eyes staring eagerly. “Put most simply, terror stalks the darkness. Not even I know exactly what would await you there, but it may be the worst place for you to end up. Only demons who are suited to such places find any kind of peace there. The darkness hides horrible things.”

Roxas sighed and angled his head slightly, peering into the shadows covering Axel’s face. “I have to admit, now I’m kind of curious what kind of horrible things they are.” A faint smile curled his lips. “I’ve lived my whole life afraid, it’d be interesting to see what Hell itself has in store to make it worse.” He snickered and his grin became cheeky as he shrugged. “Might be refreshing.”

“Hm.” Axel absently bit his lip. “You know, you’re far from the first human to think like that.”

“Hm.” Staring, Roxas’ smile fell away. “Yeah.” He sighed and leaned away again. “I guess it’s pretty vain to expect myself to be unique in any way.” He smiled again with a raised eyebrow. “Especially next to a demon. You’ve probably known more humans than I’ve even seen in my life. There’s way too many of us to ever be truly unique.”

Axel’s mouth twitched a moment before he laughed, shaking his head. “That’s a tad pessimistic, don’t you think?” Hoping Roxas wouldn’t pull away, Axel gently cupped his cheek to turn his face. Roxas frowned a little and pulled his face away from Axel’s hand, but he kept the eye contact Axel made. “Perhaps I’ve seen every possible trait a human could have, but there are infinite combinations and types for your kind to have. There’s nothing about you that I’d see exactly the same in someone else.”

Roxas started to smile before he bit his lip and looked away. “What about my unholy soul? Have you seen that before?” He glanced sideways at Axel.

Axel had to laugh, pulling himself to sit even closer so they very nearly touched, arching to try to look back into Roxas’ eyes close enough to see his soul again. “They are very rare... I haven’t seen one while it still resided in a mortal. The only ones I’ve seen had already been claimed by my fellows and brought to their domain.”

Roxas met his eyes, expression suddenly very straight. “What happens to them?”

Shoulders falling, Axel was silent for a minute, just staring and watching the pulse of dark within Roxas. He didn’t have the heart to lie while looking directly into him like this, to abuse such an offering of vulnerability from a creature so frail yet familiar. Not that he expected Roxas to accept any softening of the truth, not when his truths were unfailingly harsh. “Hell and Heaven both are held together by souls. Without their energy, Hell begins to crumble and be swallowed by Earth, and all demons become weaker without Hell to tie us to this plane of existence. Any soul we can have will do, but a soul like yours that shares our spirit is much stronger, gives Hell more power than any ordinary mortal soul.” He absently shrugged. “I imagine there equally are holy souls that do the same for Heaven. I wouldn’t know, I don’t consort with angels, and I have no taste for holiness in mortals.”

“What would you get out of my soul?”

“More power for myself.” Axel allowed a laugh to disrupt the eye contact. “I’m in no urgent need for it, but if I have the opportunity to take it before it is up to chance where you go or someone else claims you, then why not fuel the flames that fuel me?”

Roxas took a deep breath as he looked away without moving his head, catching Axel off guard. “So, an eternity of burning to give you power in exchange for a short lifetime of luring you to keep me company? Pretty pathetic, huh?” His voice fell quieter, just a breath, but Axel was unable to respond.

For all the glances he kept trying to steal, Axel had never noticed the colour of Roxas’ eyes, too fixated on trying to look into them, but now he was too close not to notice the shocking shade of blue when the pupils turned away from him. Axel had no affinity for the sky, but he knew the shade it took when there were no clouds to shade the sun, and it seemed that whatever coincidence of fate had lead to Roxas’ birth had gifted him with that sky encircling his pupils. He unthinkingly lifted his hand to bite his thumb to somewhat restrain his smile.

Roxas looked at him again, eyebrow raised, then he sighed with a rough note of irritation and pulled himself away from Axel, rolling his eyes. A pink blush crawled across his cheeks. “Ugh, why don’t you just leave? I’m really second-guessing whether your company will be worth it if you’re just going to be spending the whole time imagining my soul on fire.”

Axel exhaled, releasing his thumb as he got to his feet. “That wasn’t what I was thinking,” he muttered.

Snorting, Roxas just shook his head.

Axel still smiled, still stared at him. If he could, he would have simply hid his presence to stay and look at Roxas more, try to see what else he had missed in his obsession with his soul, but Roxas could see him when no other human could, so Axel didn’t have the time to test and see whether he could hide himself from Roxas, not now while he was already irritated.

“Are you leaving?” Roxas grumbled, curling up, hugging his knees with a snarl.

“I’m leaving,” Axel soothed, sighing with disappointment as he left, going straight back to the forest. Eyes on the city, he returned to his favoured tree and laid down on the branch as usual, only looking away from the buildings when he laid on his back to turn to the star-filled sky. He blinked at the infinite stretch of stars, distant burning suns, and waited for the sun to rise and blot out the distance, bleaching it blue.

He was lucky, the few clouds evaporated the higher and hotter the sun got until the afternoon sky was perfect.

Biting his lip, Axel lightly put his hand over his chest, faintly feeling the thump of his heart as he stared up into the colour of Roxas’ eyes. He scolded himself for taking so long to notice, for wasting so much time he could have spent feeling this thrill of excitement and desire, the exhilarating rush of longing.

When the sky grew too dark to remind him of Roxas, Axel left the tree and wandered, following the quiet trails of the deer he shared this piece of Earth with. His eased mood caused the animals to accept his presence again, so when he found a herd of deer, they allowed him to follow their restrained night routine. The excitement, desire, ache within him made his limbs shiver with something not unlike the need to hunt, but his mouth did not water for the taste of human flesh between his teeth, against his tongue, so he stayed and waited for the next sunrise before returning to the tree and staring at the sky in wait.

When that colour returned, Axel bit his lip as he smiled again, but—

“Axel.”

It was hardly even a whisper, a mere breath shaped to sound by lips. Axel sat bolt upright, feeling his heart leap. But Roxas’ voice was not from the same place as his room, so Axel went outside the building again, letting the humans going about their day pass through him as he closed his eyes to trace the sound within the walls until he could pinpoint the origin of the sound and went to Roxas’ side.

“Such a thing as you should not even exist. I expect that you show those who show mercy to allow you to live in their home and eat their food the gratitude they deserve.”

Axel’s lip unconsciously curled and an eyebrow raised staring at the tall man with his face covered who stared down at Roxas with a single exposed eye. “Yeesh, what did you call me into?” He looked down at Roxas who sat in a plain chair with his head bowed and saw the stiff line of his shoulders relax.

“To this day, they have ignored my advice in order to give you a chance to be redeemed, and while I know they are running a fool’s errand, I respect their kindness. They are good people, so I will do what I can to help them with you.”

Axel rolled his eyes. “He likes to talk, doesn’t he?” With a sigh, he sat down on the floor in front of Roxas, in front of the man, and looked up into Roxas’ face “I guess you just wanted my company to drown out his babbling, hm?”

Keeping his head down, Roxas gave a small smile.

“I’ll take that as a yes.” Sighing again, Axel leaned forward, resting his arms across Roxas’ knees, and looked around the small, dim room, ignoring whatever the man was going on about now, impurities or some such. “I hope you don’t expect me to leave after whatever this is is over. You’ve got me curious now.” Each wall held a religious icon, one above the door, one between two narrow windows, and the other two placed boldly in the middle of the walls. Axel unconsciously shivered; while man-made symbols of holy faith themselves meant nothing against him or any demon, what they meant to the humans who possessed them was an unnerving prospect. “Yikes, this room is a nightmare, huh? I guess they must feel like they have to go above and beyond since they have an unholy soul living under their roof. Probably just to protect themselves. Wearing their fear on their sleeves a bit here.” When he smiled and looked up, Roxas smiled back at him and gave a slow blink that Axel decided to interpret as a nod. “Very typical of these types that fear the unholy as much as they do.” Axel unthinkingly rubbed his hand just above Roxas’ knee. “But I’m sure I don’t have to tell you that. Anyway, I’m sure you didn’t call for me to tell you what you already know about how dumb and fearful these humans you’re with are.”

Roxas bit his lip around a smile and looked away for a moment then looked down in the direction of his hand. Axel followed his gaze to see Roxas’ hand slowly, haltingly sliding along the edge of the dark wooden chair closer to Roxas’ leg, closer to Axel.

Looking back at Roxas’ eyes, Axel slid his hand from Roxas’ leg and slowly lowered it towards his hand. Roxas didn’t move to pull away, so Axel let his hand lay lightly on top of Roxas’.

Roxas was tired. Axel immediately felt the distracting memories of a sleepless night and the longing to return to bed and chuckled softly. Roxas wasn’t at all paying attention to the man’s preaching, either, he just stared down at Axel leaning in his lap, imagining going back to sleep, imagining...touching Axel’s hair.

When he picked up on that, Axel couldn’t help but laugh. “Oh, you,” he cooed in an exaggerated scolding tone. “That poor man is just trying to save your soul, and all you can think about is going back to bed. Have you no respect for the work he puts into preaching to someone he believes is beyond help?”

Roxas’ eyes closed as his smile grew across his face before he bit his lip again and forced his face to relax.

Axel wriggled closer so his chest was leaning lightly against Roxas’ legs as well. “And ignoring a holy man in favour of daydreaming of playing with a demon’s hair? Shameful.”

Roxas’ eyes flew open and any hint of a smile was gone as he blushed, growing hot, flustered, trying to cover those thoughts with just more thoughts of bed, but his attempts just made him think of Axel more, his hair, vibrant red down his bare back.

Axel laughed and squeezed Roxas’ hand as it squirmed slightly but didn’t quite make any attempt to move away. “Not that I mind. I’m flattered, really. It is a feature I’m most proud of. It really is quite unusual, I know, even among demons. I was quite blessed. I’ll let you touch it all you want when you can.”

Roxas closed his eyes and took a deep breath, a fruitless attempt to cool his burning skin, and let it out silently before he looked at Axel again, brow furrowed.

Laughing again, Axel softly rubbed his fingertips against the back of Roxas’ hand. “Hmm, now I need to stop being obnoxious or you’ll want me to leave.” He didn’t need to read into what was in Roxas’ mind to figure that out. “I suppose that is my greatest sin. And I don’t want to risk you not explaining all of the nonsense going on right now, so I suppose I’ll take it back.”

With a sigh, Axel leaned his chin against the arm still resting across Roxas’ knees and closed his eyes, listening to the rhythm of Roxas’ heartbeat and breathing between the drone of damnation and hellfire and absolution through suffering. “This is nice,” he murmured. “Though I’d rather that wind bag not be talking, you’re pretty comfortable to lean on. Nicer than being alone, and *much* nicer than being with many of the other demons I somehow end up around.”

He sat immersed in the warmth of Roxas’ contentment, marbled with relief and gratitude. He wished Roxas could stroke his hair.

Then Roxas flinched hard, making him jump so his hand left Roxas’ and look back as the man stepped closer, what little was visible of his expression stern. He looked back, and Roxas was holding his head up, though he wasn’t looking at the man, hands tense against the edge of the seat.

The man was suddenly quiet, looking Roxas up and down, mouth opening slightly for a second before he spoke. “Some day, I will convince them to give you the mercy you actually deserve, then you will be free.” As Roxas’ jaw tightened slightly, the man turned and left, the door softly clicking shut behind him.

Huffing a sigh, Axel leaned against Roxas’ knees again, deciding not to touch his hand again, just in case Roxas didn’t want that now, and looked up at his face. “Well, finally that’s over.”

“Yeah... He hasn’t come here in a long time...” Roxas took a shuddering breath and lifted a hand to wipe at his eyes, making Axel stiffen with surprise and lean closer, looking for tears on Roxas’ face. “I’ll probably be left here for a little while... To absorb my lesson. So we can talk.”

Axel nodded without moving his eyes from Roxas’ face and carefully took a hold of Roxas’ arm to lower it from his face. “He is a holy man from around here?”

Roxas nodded, looking away at the shadowy wall. “Yes. He’s the one who oversaw my birth. So he’s been the one who has watched over me my whole life.”

Nodding back again, Axel stretched up to hold Roxas’ shoulder. “And he wants to...?”

Roxas inhaled and licked his lips. “To kill me. To save me. If not me, save everyone else from my presence. They can never be sure if my curse will rub off on anyone I accidentally touch, after all” Sniffing softly, he rubbed his eyes again, harder, then finally met Axel’s eyes with a faint smile. “I wasn’t sure you would be able to hear me.”

Axel was silent a moment, staring up into those beautiful, beautiful eyes, trying to gauge the sorrow or pain in Roxas’ expression. “My ears are not at all like yours. Especially now that I’ve gotten to know you better and know the sound of you, I can hear the slightest hint of my name from your lips.”

Roxas smiled down at his lap as he lightly crossed his arms, holding his shirt sleeves tight in his hands which shook. “I don’t really want to call for you, but...you’re the only one who actually looks at me without fear or judgement. I guess I’m lonelier than I thought. I never realized until I met you...”

Axel bit his lip for a moment. What could he say to that? Sighing, he rested his arms and head back in Roxas’ lap. “I suppose I’m sorry I woke that up in you.” He tilted his head to see up to Roxas’ face from under the skull. “You can touch my hair now, if you still want to.”

Biting his lip, Roxas instantly covered his mouth with a hand, smothering a quiet laugh. “I guess I would.” As he lowered his hand, he bit his lip again, smiling, hand hesitating before alighting on Axel’s shoulder. A shock of his long-standing fear, a wave of relief breaking over it as Roxas hesitantly rubbed against the lock of hair laying over Axel’s shoulder. Axel sighed softly and relaxed into Roxas’ lap, and Roxas set his hand against the nape of Axel’s neck a moment before slowly running down his back to the end of his hair then back to his neck.

Axel gave a soft, contented moan as his eyes drifted shut, enjoying the light touch against his back, tangling in his hair.

“Why do you wear that skull on your head?” Roxas was staring into the shadows covering Axel’s face.

Axel smiled without opening his eyes and jerked his shoulders in a short shrug. “Because I want to.”

“Hm. Ca-“

The door opened, and Axel unconsciously shouted as he was knocked back when Roxas instantly leapt to his feet, hands fisting at his sides.

“Return to your chores.”

Axel looked back at the door in time to see someone he recognized from Roxas’ mind as one of the servants of the house turning and quickly leaving. He hardly had time to give a groaning sigh of disappointment before moving out of Roxas’ way and walking out of the room behind him. The hard floor of the barren room immediately gave way to plush rugs that felt strange under Axel’s hooves down an opulent hallway.

Silently absorbing the surroundings with his own eyes, the finery, the rich colours, the continuation of plentiful religious icons, though those outside the room were more ornate, more artistic to match the decor, Axel followed Roxas until he passed another door into an empty kitchen.

“You don’t mind if I stick around?” Axel leaned over to try to get a quick look at Roxas’ face.

Roxas’ eyes darted around the empty room a moment then his face relaxed into a smile as he quickly shook his head, meeting Axel’s eyes a moment before opening the door to a dining room and collecting the dishes on the table.

Axel’s chest puffed out a bit as he followed Roxas around then back into the kitchen, beaming. “I’ll try not to get in your way, promise.”

Roxas immediately went to work cleaning the dishes, and Axel spent perhaps a minute inspecting the kitchen full of shining tools before growing bored of the mundanities of the human household and getting comfortable sitting in the air behind Roxas, watching. Watching how he moved, how he reached and grabbed and scrubbed. The repetition was somehow mesmerizing.

Roxas didn’t speak, didn’t look back at Axel or at anything around him. When the dishes sat in gleaming rows, he wordlessly left the sink with a cloth, and Axel followed back to the door to watch him wipe the dining table down, though it seemed already clean to Axel’s eyes. Axel just moved to stay out of his way as Roxas went back into the kitchen and collected pans and knives and cutting boards from the table and brought them to the sink to wash. When those as well were finished, he got a bucket and filled it with water to mop the floor. Axel now wanted to ask about these chores, about the household, about the people who were supposedly so kind, but he was sure Roxas would stay quiet in case anyone heard him, so he just waited and stayed off the wet floor in case he left hoofprints that the other humans would notice.

As Roxas was drying the dishes and putting them away after the floor had been cleaned, the door behind Axel opened, and he looked back as a large man with dark hair entered. The man’s lip curled as he looked at Roxas. “Out,” he growled, passing him and pulling out utensils Roxas had just put away.

Without a word, eyes on the floor, Roxas hurried out of the kitchen, waiting just a moment for Axel to follow before closing the door behind him. Behind them, the man audibly grumbled about “that thing” being put to work in his kitchen.

“Everyone here has an attitude problem, don’t they?” Axel remarked.

Roxas’ mouth quirked into a smile before he bit his lip to stifle it, and he walked away down the hall. Axel resumed following him in silence, watching him clean, dust, tidy, while also taking in the monotonous opulence of the furnishings and decor. He watched Roxas shrink away from the other inhabitants who hardly spared him a glance while simultaneously tensing when in the same room as him. While they chatted about duties and events around the house and gossiped about the town, not a word was spoken towards Roxas. After a while, Roxas returned to the kitchen and washed the dishes from dinner before eating a plate of plain bread and vegetables left in the kitchen.

It was quiet and dark when Roxas left again, and someone finally looked at him, glaring, arms crossed. “To your room.”

Roxas’ eyes remained down as he nodded, and Axel followed as the person followed Roxas back upstairs, back to his room. For the first time, Axel saw the inscriptions on the door and circling the frame, the icons hung on and above it. Guarding the household from what resided inside.

As soon as the lock clicked shut behind him, Roxas sighed and sat in his bed, rubbing his hands in turn.

Axel hummed thoughtfully and looked at the door. “Life is rather dull in this house, isn’t it?” he remarked at last.

Finally, Roxas looked at him again and laughed behind his hand, eyes shining. “Try it for twenty years, see how dull it is.”

Axel beamed as he sat next to him. “You have my pity.” Raising an eyebrow, he offered his hand, and Roxas frowned suddenly looking at it. Axel could hear his heart pounding.

“I’m beginning to get mad at myself for enjoying having you around,” Roxas muttered. He took Axel’s hand, allowing Axel to feel the depths of how tired he was before pushing it down and letting go to stand back up and step to a small dresser across the room from the bed. “You want me to explain this afternoon?”

Axel immediately sat forward, attentive. “That I would.”

Heaving a sigh, Roxas opened a drawer. “He used to come by all the time when I was younger, to try and purge the darkness from me. I don’t really know why this household took me in. I could be related to anyone here as far as I know, but I just know they wanted to appease some sin of theirs by saving an ‘innocent’ child.” He shrugged, taking out some clothes, similarly threadbare to what he already wore. “But as time went on, it became obvious that my innate sin couldn’t be lifted through prayer alone, so he stopped coming by. When I got told he was coming again today, I had no idea what to expect. But it was just the same talk he’s given my whole life.”

“Hm.” Axel leaned his chin into his hand. “So, then, why did you call for me?”

Roxas was still for a moment, holding the clothes tight, then looked back at Axel, looked him up and down, then put the clothes down to take off his shirt. “I still wasn’t sure what he wanted. I didn’t know if...” He trailed off, stilling again. Sighing, he firmly shook his head and pulled down his pants, putting shirt and pants in a basket beside the dresser. “Like I said, one day, he’s going to kill me in the hopes he can cleanse my soul and set me free and, if not that, cleanse the town of me.”

Axel’s breath caught as he tilted his head. He felt himself grinning and tried to cover it with his hand before Roxas could see it.

Roxas didn’t turn around as he redressed and came back to the bed and sat, pulling up his feet and resting his chin on his knees as he finally looked at Axel. “I didn’t get the chance to ask you,” he murmured, “can you take that skull off?”

Unthinkingly, Axel reached up to touch his fingertips to the bone cresting off his head, rubbing the smooth shapes of the muzzle. “Uh, I can.” He stared at Roxas a moment before shrugging. “I can’t remember the last time I have, though.”

“Why?”

Unable to help it, Axel laughed. He lowered his hand again and rested his arms across his knees, turning his body towards Roxas. “Because it’s a part of me. It reminds the others of what I am.”

Roxas smiled a little. “And what’s that?”

Leaning forward, Axel grinned widely, eyes narrow. “I am an animal. I am death.“ He gripped the muzzle of the skull tightly. “I did not kill this creature, but I kill humans and my fellows alike when the need arises. They do not forget that I chose to decorate myself with an innocent animal because I cannot with all of those I have burned.”

Closing his eyes and putting a hand to his mouth, Roxas laughed. “Wow, a big, scary demon, are you?”

Axel laughed as well. “Bigger than you.”

Roxas snickered and gave his shoulder a shove. “Shut up.” He softly yawned as he crossed his arms over his knees and smiled at Axel again. “Can I see you without it on? I haven’t been able to get a good look at your face.”

Axel realized that his own heart was pounding as he hesitated with his mouth slightly ajar. It was illogical, it was pointless and emotion-driven, but the prospect was somehow intimidating. For Roxas—to gain Roxas’ trust—he could do it, he raised his hand back to the skull, but then...

He gulped as his hand hovered, frozen with some nonsensical anxiety of exposure. He dropped his hand to the bed then leaned over slightly, bowing his head towards Roxas. There were several seconds of silence, then Roxas lifted his hand and tentatively touched the muzzle of the skull. Axel felt it shift against his hair, but he held himself still. After another few moments passed, Roxas lifted the skull, and Axel unconsciously shivered from the feeling, ducking his head, hunching his shoulders.

His eyes closed from the feeling of Roxas’ hand smoothing his hair. Roxas’ fingers caught a few stray locks, and they tickled across Axel’s brow as Roxas pushed them back from his face. After a minute, Axel opened his eyes again and looked up at Roxas. As their eyes met, Roxas froze for a second then touched Axel’s cheekbone, startled by the pitch blackness of Axel’s sclera and the vibrant green irises that seemed to glow in comparison. Axel leaned to press into Roxas’ hand more. Sighing, Roxas relaxed and a blissful smile crossed his face as his hand returned to Axel’s head. “You have really nice hair.”

Giving a soft groan as a smile finally pulled across his face, Axel crawled forward and rested his chin on Roxas’ knees. Roxas quietly laughed and stroked Axel’s hair a couple more times before pulling away and reclining back into his pillow. Without prompting, Axel laid out alongside him, laying his arms over Roxas’ stomach to rest his head on. Immediately, Roxas’ hand returned to his hair, combing his fingers through, pausing to cup the shape of Axel’s skull, occasionally brushing against his brow or cheek while Axel hummed with pleasure.

Gradually, Roxas’ hand slowed then stilled then slid and landed softly half on Axel’s shoulder. Axel sighed and looked up at Roxas’ soft, relaxed face, his tender parted lips. Smiling, Axel closed his eyes and listened to the steady wind of Roxas’ breath as the night passed.

He noticed first Roxas’ hand moving, then a deep breath lifted Roxas’ belly beneath him. “You stayed,” came a sleep-slurred mumble.

Axel grinned. “You never told me to leave.”

Roxas’ hand carded through his hair again once more as he yawned. “You really are obsessed with getting my soul, aren’t you?” Axel only hummed as he sat up when he felt Roxas moving under him. Roxas stretched his arms as he sat up, face screwed in a yawn, then arched his back, then smiled at Axel. “I guess you can follow me around as much as you want for now. Not like anything interesting is going to happen. Might make my life a little more exciting.”

“Oh, I’m used to making my own fun.”

Roxas giggled quietly then glanced at the door. “I should stay quiet. Someone will come unlock my door any time now.”

Axel shrugged. “That’s alright. I’d fill the silence for you, but I don’t want to make you laugh at an inopportune time.”

“Heh. Thanks, that’s very considerate.” Roxas smiled up at him for a moment before leaning over to pick up the deer skull where he had set it next to the bed. Seeing it suddenly made Axel profoundly aware of his bare head, and he felt the need to take the skull and put it back on, but he waited as Roxas paused, looking at it between his hands, before raising it.

Axel again bowed his head and smiled as the weight that felt as natural as his own body was returned to him, eliciting a sigh from him. “Thank you.” He looked back up. “Shall I show you something in exchange while we wait?”

Roxas smiled silently but nodded.

“Okay. Be careful now.” Axel grinned as he stood and took a step back from the bed. “It’s nothing, really, for me, but for a human like you, I usually don’t indulge unless taking their life. For you, though, I’ll keep it to myself.” Keeping his eyes on Roxas’ attentive expression, he raised a hand slowly and, for the sake of theatricality, twisted and flicked his wrist as a flame burst from his palm.

Roxas’ eyes widened as he leaned forward. “Whoa!”

They both jumped as the door lock clicked, and Axel quickly clasped his hands together to smother the flame before the door opened. Roxas threw him a quick, crooked smile, eyes darting back to Axel’s hands for a moment, before standing and leaving the room.

The day followed much like the one before; Roxas cleaned the dishes before eating a simple meal left for him then cleaned around the house. Axel found himself a little more distracted by the other inhabitants of the house, lingering behind them and sensing their fear when they were too close to Roxas. Otherwise, they were as dull as any other average human, nothing to keep his interest as long as he couldn’t interact with them, and, for Roxas’ sake, he wouldn’t. He wondered about the mistress of the house or any other of her direct family, but no head of the household ever showed up in the same room as Roxas, so Axel tempered his curiosity in order to stay with him.

Once more, Roxas washed the dishes from dinner and ate a small meal of his own before being escorted back to his room and locked inside. He waited only a few moments before looking back at Axel with wide eyes. “Can you show me that fire you made again?”

Axel laughed, shaking his head as he stepped to the middle of the room and pivoted to face Roxas. “What? Never seen fire before?” he teased.

Roxas snickered and wrinkled his nose. “Not appearing out of thin air in someone’s hand.”

Smirking and cocking an eyebrow, Axel held out a hand. “I suppose that makes sense.” Flame burst into life in his palm again. “Funny how you have a demon before you, and you just want to see the silliest little trick.”

Stepping closer, Roxas chuckled as he stared at the flame. “Well, I’ve gotten used to you appearing out of thin air and floating and such. Unless you have more interesting tricks you’re not showing me.”

Axel laughed and held both hands close together, allowing the fire to grow bigger between them. “Nothing I can show you here.”

“Then the fire is the most interesting thing you have for me.” Grinning, Roxas looked up to meet Axel’s eyes.

Axel smiled in silence for a minute, watching the flickering orange highlight the blue of Roxas’ eyes, before closing his hands to kill the flame once more. As Roxas pouted a bit, Axel quickly reached out to cup both hands around Roxas’ cheeks.

Gasping softly, Roxas closed his eyes and held Axel’s hands in his own. “Wow... You’re really hot, but...in a nice way... It feels really good.” He opened his eyes to look up. “I guess you can’t be burned, so what does fire feel like to you?”

Caressing Roxas’ cheeks with his thumbs, Axel smiled warmly and took a step closer. “Hm, I’m not sure how to describe it in a way you could relate to.” He cocked his head slightly as he stared down into Roxas’ patient expression. “Imagine the most pleasantly warm you’ve ever felt, like curling up with a comfortable blanket or standing in front of a fireplace after coming in from cold weather. That’s probably something like how fire on my skin feels to me.”

“Must be nice.” Roxas gazed up with a smile then gently pulled Axel’s hands away from his face, holding them in his own. His heart pounded. His lips parted silently for a moment before he took a deep breath, smile melting away. “Do you know...how it feels for a soul to burn?” he asked in a whisper.

Shoulders sagging, Axel softly shook his head. “No. But I know they do feel the fire.” He didn’t want to scare Roxas by describing how the souls screamed if you got close enough to listen for them.

Roxas looked away, biting his lip, hands tightening around Axel’s. “The other options almost sound better compared to that,” he whispered, so quiet to be almost nothing more than an exhale. “Cold, fear... I mean, they don’t sound pleasant, but burning forever...” Brow furrowing, Roxas squeezed Axel’s hands even tighter for a moment before pulling Axel to the bed. “There was another place... The empty places in between? Do mortal souls end up there?”

Axel nodded and slipped one of his hands free to cup Roxas’ cheek again. “Yes. They become rooted in place, crushed by the rocks, torn at by the winds. Those that have been there the longest may even be ripped free of the rocks and what’s left of them get whipped around, continuing to be torn and scraped against the endless stone.”

Roxas shuddered a bit and snorted as a hint of a smile pulled his lips again. “Okay, that sounds like the worst fate.” He raised an eyebrow. “What about Heaven? Do you know what that’s like for the souls there?”

Axel shook his head. “I don’t know the first thing about Heaven.”

“I didn’t think so.”

As Axel smiled again, Roxas looked up and smiled back. Then he gave a small nod upward and lifted a hand towards the deer skull, his desire washing away what was left of his fear.

Axel’s heart momentarily skipped a beat, but he gave a small smile and lowered his head in permission. “Go ahead. You’re a little obsessed with my hair, aren’t you?” He closed his eyes when he felt the skull lifted then looked back up at Roxas.

Roxas gazed at him, eyes darting between Axel’s eyes. He put a hand on Axel’s cheek. “You said you wear the skull to show that you’re death and an animal, but you’re not that to me.”

Smiling faintly, Axel leaned his face closer to Roxas’. “You know, if I could have been guaranteed to get your soul when we first met, I might have killed you.”

Laughing quietly and moving his hand to weave his fingers in Axel’s hair, Roxas grinned so that his nose wrinkled. “You said ‘might.’ That’s not very intimidating.”

Axel had to laugh as he lowered his head to nuzzle against Roxas’ chest, silently encouraging him to pet his hair. “What about my legs? They’re more animal than anything else.”

“I hardly even notice them. You keep my attention towards your face.” Roxas wrapped his other arm around Axel’s shoulders and pulled him down as he laid down, turning onto his side. Axel smiled as his head rested against Roxas’ arm, and he slipped his arm underneath Roxas to wrap both lightly around his waist. Roxas’ hand slowly stroked the crown of his head, making Axel’s eyes drift shut with pleasure. “Why are you trying to convince me that you’re all scary all of a sudden? Whatever happened to you trying so hard to get me to let you stay around?”

“Just making conversation.” Axel nuzzled Roxas’ chest again. “Do you have anything you’re willing to talk to me about to fill the silence?”

Roxas hummed softly. “I mean, I don’t know much other than what happens in the house and everyone in it.”

“Tell me about them?”

With a laugh, Roxas did, talking about the others who worked in the house, which ones were mean and harsh, which ones seemed nice enough but also were terrified of him, the few that he rarely got to see but who offered him small kindnesses in smiles and quiet greetings. He talked about the mistress of the house, though he was forbidden from ever talking or directly interacting with her, and what little he knew of her husband who had died a short time before Roxas had been born and who, from what scattered gossip Roxas overheard, was a man who crossed many people to get the wealth he passed to his widow.

Axel hardly even noticed when a brief lull in Roxas’ whispers became longer, that his hand had stilled against Axel’s head. Axel just smiled and held Roxas as he slept.

The next morning, Axel decided to leave Roxas’ side for the day to see the other inhabitants of the house for himself, particularly the mistress who had taken Roxas in in the hopes of redeeming her family name. Roxas smiled and shrugged and told Axel to tell him if he heard or saw anything interesting.

Axel returned to Roxas’ side after watching the mistress eat her dinner, and his heart soared when Roxas’ face lit up upon seeing him, but he kept quiet until Roxas’ daily duties were done and he was once again locked up for the night.

Axel sighed as he sat on the bed. “I admit, I don’t understand much of the mundanities of human society and politics and economics, but everyone here sure is boring.”

Going to his dresser, Roxas laughed. “I take it you didn’t see anything interesting enough to tell me about.”

Axel shrugged. “Not unless you’re interested in gossip about the townsfolk or the financial state of the mistress’ company.” Not for a single moment while he was watching her was she anything but haggard.

“Damn. Why am I surrounded by such normal people?” There was no hesitation this time before Roxas undressed and got into clean clothing.

“Hm. The universe had to balance out the anomaly that is you, perhaps.” The only things of interest Axel heard all day were whispers about Roxas, which room he was in to avoid, complaints about the possibility of him tainting the very things he had to touch and the air he breathed, grumbling wishes that the mistress would get rid of him already.

Sighing, Roxas stepped to the bed and immediately laid down, staring at the ceiling. He licked then bit his lip, and Axel could feel a certain tension in the air, so he stayed quiet to see what Roxas wanted. “Axel?” he whispered. “What does it mean that I’m unholy? I don’t... Well, I know what it means, but...how did it even happen? Was there any reason to this happening to me?”

Axel stayed quiet as he moved closer and leaned over Roxas, unthinkingly removing the skull from atop his head to look down into his eyes unobstructed. For the first time in days, he looked within them to his soul again, to the stain of darkness. “Only whoever’s responsible for it could know how or why,” he admitted gently, refocusing back to that perfect shade of blue. “Maybe one of your ancestors made a deal with a demon or crossed one and was punished, something that passes along as a curse, the power of a demon clinging to your bloodline. Since you have no way to know who your parents are, it would be hard to find out if that were the case. If not, then a demon became somehow interested in you or perhaps your dam before you were born and tried to stake a certain degree of claim over you. Not really binding your soul to them, but tying you to Hell itself. Perhaps something happened to keep them away from you, or they lost interest by the time of your birth, or maybe they just wanted to play a cruel prank and didn’t care beyond that.” Shrugging, he absently ran a hand through Roxas’ hair. “I wish I could tell you for sure.”

Roxas sighed and took Axel’s hand, aching with sorrow. “I’ve been wondering all my life why me, what had I done, how could I change?” He shook his head. “I can’t tell you how frustrating it is to know I have no power over any of it, that I’ve been damned for no particular reason and there’s nothing I can do to free myself.”

Brow furrowing, Axel leaned closer and rubbed Roxas’ cheek with his free hand. “I know.” He could feel it, and it made his heart ache as it pounded in his chest.

Roxas took a deep breath as he looked at their hands that still held each other. “I guess you do.” Sighing again; he closed his eyes and shook his head. “I’ve just wanted my whole life to be able to live for myself, to be able to have control over what happens to me and live a real life.”

“Roxas...” Glittering droplets swelled from under Roxas’ eyelids, delicate, quivering bulbs of tears. Resisting the feeling of tears against his own eyes, Axel gently wiped them away before leaning over to lightly touch his lips to Roxas’.

Roxas’ eyes flew open and blood washed his face beneath his skin. Axel smiled a little at the sudden rush of confusion pushing at Roxas’ pain. “Y-you...” Tears welled up anew as Roxas lifted a hand to press to the back of Axel’s head. “You’re going too far to get at my soul,” he whispered bitterly before pulling Axel down, tears slipping from his closed eyes.

Axel couldn’t respond, his own heart racing from the soft warmth of Roxas’ lips against his own. He wanted nothing more than to reassure him, to kiss him until that horrible pain went away. He wanted to take Roxas from this house, back to the woods where they first met, to lead him into the trees and give him freedom from this life.

Roxas didn’t deserve a life of isolation and struggle, though, and Axel didn’t know how to provide for a mortal. He had to find something else.

When the kiss broke, he wove his fingers with Roxas’ and tenderly cradled his head in his other hand, breathing slow and deep to try to inhale as much of Roxas’ scent as he could.

Roxas moaned softly as his hand tightened against the back of Axel’s head, collecting together a handful of his hair. “Dammit, Axel, what do you want from me?” His voice shook. He hurt so, so much that Axel couldn’t do anything against the tears that stung at his own eyes. “I can’t... I won’t give you my soul just because you...you’re confusing me so much!”

Axel finally opened his eyes again to look down at Roxas, jaw clenched, brow furrowed deeply, eyes squeezed closed against the tears that ran down his face. “Roxas,” Axel murmured, soothingly rubbing his fingers over Roxas’ cheek. Axel’s heart was pounding again. “I...I don’t know the most about human souls, but others have learned much more, more than anyone short of maybe the angels, I wouldn’t know.” Sniffling, Roxas slowly opened his eyes. Forcing a smile, Axel wiped the tears from Roxas’ face and cupped his cheek. “Perhaps I can find whether someone else knows if there’s some way to lift the darkness from your soul.”

For several seconds, Roxas stopped breathing, eyes widening. He pulled his hand free of Axel’s hair and grabbed at his back, pressing between his shoulders, pulling him down, hiding his face in the crook of Axel’s neck. He didn’t speak, so Axel stayed quiet as he gently, carefully held his small frame.

It was a long time before Roxas fell asleep.

There was one place he could visit that would give him the best chance of finding a way to help Roxas, but he wouldn’t leave Roxas alone in bed like this. So he tried to memorize the shape of the body in his arms while he waited for morning to come.

Roxas remained quiet when he woke, only holding Axel tighter and starting to cry once again, Axel’s words reverberating through him.

Axel sighed as he rubbed the taut arch of Roxas’ back. “I’ll return to Hell today, if you’ll be okay,” he murmured. Roxas flinched, so Axel held him tighter, staring, unseeing, at the wall. “There are two I know who I can ask if there’s anything that can be done to free your soul.” A single dry laugh escaped them. “I’m not their favourite visitor, but what harm can one question do?” Despite himself, he thought of the cold, the invisible ice that pierced him through every second the wind of that place rushed around his body, and shivered. But, for Roxas, to keep him from burning for far longer than Axel would have to suffer the cold, he could do it.

For a long minute, Roxas was still silent. Then he pushed himself from Axel’s embrace to sit up then stand and rub his hand across his face. “Please don’t raise my hopes.”

Shoulders slumped, Axel sat up and looked up at him. “I won’t promise anything. I can’t. But I will try. I know there is hope for you, somewhere. Even if it’s far from this place, I will try to help you get there.”

The silence stretched again, making Axel’s heart ache, but then Roxas turned towards him with a faint smile on his face. “I can’t believe the lengths you’re going to, to get my soul.”

Axel laughed, hardly noticing the tears that fell down his cheeks, and stood, gently holding Roxas’ arms and gazing down at him. “I’ll return tonight. Say my name if you need me to come back earlier, for any reason.”

Sighing heavily, tears tumbling down his face, Roxas stepped forward, leaning into Axel’s chest. “Axel,” he whispered.

Axel could hardly tell what was the pain he felt from Roxas and what was his own aching heart. “I can’t stay, not if I’m going to find a way to help.”

“Don’t leave me alone here. I can’t go back now that I know what it’s like to have someone who wants to be around me. I don’t want to be alone...”

Axel sighed softly. “Roxas-“

Roxas suddenly gave a low, hard grunt and pressed tighter against Axel, silencing him, and lingered for another minute before suddenly pushing away, taking a deep breath and wiping his eyes again. Though his brow remained furrowed and his eyes swollen and red, he smiled. “Just... Just come back when you can.” He jumped and looked behind him when the lock clicked open then flashed Axel another quick smile.

Axel took a deep breath and stepped forward to take Roxas’ hands for another moment. “I’ll be back tonight,” he assured before letting go and taking a step back to pick up the deer skull and place it on himself before leaving the room, leaving the mortal plane.

It immediately felt like being run through, all through his body, and he grunted and grimaced as he momentarily struggled to keep his footing against the wind. Growling and gritting his teeth, he looked up to the fortress of ice and stone before him and headed for the plain but elegant arched entrance.

Even with the wind blocked by the walls, the cold was all but unbearable, his breath a dense fog in front of his face. His hooves felt horribly unsteady on the floor of perfectly smooth ice, but he pushed himself deeper into the network of cavernous rooms until he found the demons he was looking for, surrounded by pale stone shelves filled with papers and books.

Before he had a chance to open his mouth, Vexen frowned at him, eyes narrowed with suspicion. “What do you want?”

Something about the elder demon’s disgust towards him made Axel laugh in spite of the biting cold. “I haven’t even said anything; whatever did I do to deserve such a hostile greeting?”

Vexen sighed as he placed the book in his hand back on a shelf and crossed his arms as he slowly approached. “I don’t have the patience for your games, and no one here owes you any kindness. So either get it over with or leave.”

Holding back laughter as the comforting familiarity of this conflict unravelled his inner tension, Axel glanced across the room to where Zexion sat, not even looking at him. Lexaeus silently watched him with his usual unreadable expression from Zexion’s side. He grinned at Vexen and gave an exaggerated shrug. “Aw, was it really that bad? You’re all still standing here, right?”

Vexen’s pale horns visibly glimmered with growing crystals of ice as he glared, tensing. “I will not tell you again; tell us what you want or leave.”

Catching movement out of the corner of his eye, Axel looked again to see Lexaeus crossing the room. “You’re not welcome if you’re only here to cause trouble,” he grumbled, shielding Zexion from Axel’s view. “I will make you leave if I must.”

Axel almost started laughing at their unease with his mere presence, but as Lexaeus came closer, the threat of being forced to leave hit him alongside with why he was even there. Gulping as his chest became tight once more, he took a step back and held both hands up, willing himself to be as nonthreatening as he possibly could. “No, no trouble today. I just had a question I think you would be most likely to be able to answer.”

“Then out with it!” Vexen snapped. “I have better things to do than listen to the likes of you!”

“I will, settle down.” Axel warily cast a glance at Lexaeus to see he had stopped approaching. “I was just wondering about unholy human souls.” He hesitated a breath, wary of revealing too much. “Whether one can get rid of the curse, for instance.”

Eyes rolling to the ceiling, Vexen turned away and went back to the shelf he had been in front of. “Is that really it? Are you planning on cursing some miserable human’s soul?”

Axel glanced anxiously at Lexaeus again, mouth hanging open silently for half a second. “I’m just wondering. Do you know?”

Sighing, Vexen rubbed the bridge of his nose. “Do you really expect me to help you grow your own power?”

Heart sinking, Axel’s hands started to fist at his sides. “Come on, that’s not it. Pure intellectual curiosity. Surely, you respect that.”

“I know of nothing you have done for any reason other than your own self interest.” Axel glanced back to where Lexaeus stood to see Zexion at his side, glaring, lip curled. “Why should we help you?”

Axel forced a laugh that sounded hollow and weak to his own ears. “Come on, just give me a yes or a no; is there any way to save a human’s soul from being made unholy?”

Huffing, Zexion closed his eye and straightened his shoulders. “No. I’ve never heard of any ever being recovered from that.” Axel’s chest felt struck, like his heart stopped, so much worse than the needle stab of the cold. “So, if you’re wanting to damn a human like that to feed your domain, you don’t have to worry about losing them once it is done. Is that all?”

Keeping his face straight, Axel somehow managed to suck in enough breath to speak. “That’s all.” His jaw clenched as he swallowed. “Sorry for being such a bother.” There was nothing for Roxas, no hope for anything other than a life of persecution and an eternity in Hell. “I’ll leave you alone.”

“Stay,” Lexaeus snapped, making Axel jump and look up at him just as Zexion looked up in surprise. Lexaeus was silent a moment, looking Axel up and down then staring intently at his face. “You’re not telling us something. You’re not saying why you really want to know.” Axel stiffened as Zexion frowned up at Lexaeus a moment before looking back at Axel as well.

Axel anxiously took a step back, imagining how this must be how a cornered deer felt. “What’s the problem? If I just want to know in case I want to damn a soul for myself, what does it matter to any of you?”

Lexaeus shook his head. “If that were all, why would you be so upset? Is there a particular human this is about?”

Axel felt himself tensing more as Vexen began staring at him as well. “Why do you even care? I just wanted to ask you a question, and you answered. That’s it!”

A faint smile on his face, Zexion suddenly gave a soft laugh. “Who would ever thought you’d ever look like this? Ordinarily, you hide your intentions so seamlessly.”

Axel scowled, hands fisting. “You wanted me to leave, didn’t you? So I’ll leave. No problem.”

“You will stay and tell us why you really wanted to know how to free an unholy human. What are you trying to do?”

The deep, commanding rumble of Lexaeus’ voice made Axel wince slightly. “Come on, why do you care?” he grumbled.

Zexion crossed his arms and raised his chin. “You know, you could leave at any time, we aren’t physically stopping you, but you’re staying anyway. There’s something else you want to ask us, isn’t there?”

Jaw clenched, brow furrowed, Axel looked away from all of them. Just thinking of confessing to these demons who hated him that he wanted to help a human was humiliating. But what else could he do? Roxas needed him to try everything he could. Taking a breath, he stiffened his shoulders and tried to relax his stance, trying to appear as calm as possible while lowering his chin to look through the nostrils of the skull, looking back at Zexion and Lexaeus. “Alright, fine, I met an unholy human a little while back. I’m just trying to find if there’s any way to, you know, get rid of that curse.”

“You’re still not telling us why,” Lexaeus pressed, still frowning.

Axel cringed a little and winced. “Does it matter?”

“When it comes to you, yes.”

Jaw clenching again, Axel shrugged. “Can’t I just try to help some irrelevant little human one time?” It was startling how talking so dismissively of Roxas felt like a betrayal.

He jumped and his heart leapt into his throat when Lexaeus gave a sudden laugh. “You wish to protect him?” Wide shoulders held stiff, his chest expanded as if he was about to say something before he shook his head and turned to walk away.

Zexion looked after him then back to Axel. “Why should we help you help some human?”

Axel deflated once again. His body ached and his skin stung, and now those that hated him the most had enough information to wound him just as he had once betrayed them. “I’m wasting my time,” he growled under his breath and sharply turned away.

“There could be a way to help the human.”

Axel froze in place a moment before looking over his shoulder at Vexen who stood looking at him with arms crossed same as Zexion, but his face wasn’t nearly as harsh, eyebrows raised in question.

“We are already guessing why you want to help some human, so you may as well tell us, don’t you think?” Vexen frowned again. “If you actually have the decency to be honest with us after all you’ve done, I could try to be of assistance.”

Heavily exhaling, Axel turned back around, perching a fist on his hip. He could hear his own heart pounding as he tried to maintain composure. “I met a human man who was born with an unholy soul. I was trying to gain his trust enough to take his soul, but seeing how he lived with that burden made me feel a little sorry for him, so I’d like to help him if I can.”

After staring at him for a deeply unnerving moment, Vexen nodded and turned back to the shelves, looking them over before heading deeper between them. “I suppose that’s fair.”

Axel cast a quick glance to see that Zexion had gone back to where he had been sitting before hesitantly following Vexen. He was silent for a minute as he watched Vexen browse through the books then awkwardly shuffled his hooves against the floor. “Do you really know a way to possibly help him?”

Vexen shrugged as his pale fingers grazed along the book spines. “I don’t have any method memorized, but humans are incredibly pliable. There are many ways for us to change them, with enough magic and the right circumstances.”

Gulping, Axel felt his heart beat faster as he stared eagerly at the thick books Vexen perused. At last, Vexen pulled one out and flipped it open, scanning a couple pages before closing it and holding it towards Axel. “I’m not sure about freeing the human from the curse, but if there is any way to help him, it will be recorded here. Take the time you need to find an option that will suit your tastes, but I expect this book to be returned in the same condition I gave it to you.”

A rush of excitement tingled through Axel’s limbs, pushing back against the numbing of the cold, and he was too elated to even think of something mocking to say.

As he reached for the book, though, Vexen held it tighter and narrowed his eyes. “You suddenly caring at all for another gives me hope that you may be starting to mature somewhat. Next time you come here, I expect an apology as a start.”

Though the urge to laugh bubbled inside, Axel clenched his jaw to hold it back and put on a solemn expression as he nodded, anxious for Vexen to relinquish his hold on Roxas’ best hope. When Vexen let it go, Axel pulled it close, staring down at the plain dark cover. “Thank you,” he said, just to keep Vexen from getting mad, then went straight back to the forest.

He looked up and exhaled relief. Between the clouds, the sky still shone the blue of Roxas’ eyes. It was hard for him to estimate how much time passed in the mortal realm whenever he was in Hell, but he had returned well before nightfall, he would be able to keep his word to Roxas. He went to Roxas’ room to see it empty then looked down at the book in his hands. He wanted to go see Roxas, but he wanted to start looking to see what the book had to offer without raising Roxas’ hopes before he had any real hope to offer.

He ignored the shivering that began, gradually, to overcome his body as he sat on Roxas’ bed and opened the book to expose Vexen’s tidy script then removed the skull from atop his head. He was used to the delayed overreaction his body had to the intense cold, how cold everything other than fire itself felt after leaving such places, so he managed to turn the pages with enough care not to rip them.

There was a lot of information. It seemed Vexen had recorded the details of every instance of a demon interfering with the soul of a mortal that he could verify for himself. Axel did his best to skim over centuries of demons testing how best to take human souls, how to curse or enslave humans, how to gain even more power from them. The tight lettering of Vexen’s hand and sheer volume of information made Axel’s eyes hurt. The uncontrollable shudders continuing to rack him and the numb prickling at his fingertips only made the discomfort more intense.

His head snapped up at sounds outside the door. Heart leaping, he stood and slid the book under the bed then stared eagerly at the door as it opened and Roxas stepped in.

The discomfort was completely forgotten as Roxas’ face lit up, and, the instant the door was closed, he closed the space between him and threw his arms around Axel’s waist, holding him tight. “You came back,” he murmured into Axel’s chest.

Axel grinned and hugged him. “Of course. Why wouldn’t I?”

Roxas shook his head and pressed tighter to Axel’s body. “I don’t know... But I don’t know why you’re here in the first place. A part of me just expects you to disappear for good when you’re out of my sight.”

Axel laughed. “I should say that about you! A fragile little mortal like you, anything could happen, you could go anywhere when I’m not looking!” Though it was almost lucky to have Roxas trapped in the situation he was.

Suddenly, Roxas stiffened and pulled away, looking at Axel’s body with wide eyes. “You’re shivering?”

Laughing again, Axel smiled and affectionately shook his head. “Yes. You remember the cold places in Hell I talked about? That’s where I went to visit today. I always take a long time and a lot of heat to get used to returning somewhere halfway tolerable.”

Staring at Axel’s chest, Roxas pulled him back to the bed and sat, so Axel sat against his side and curled into Roxas’ arms. He contentedly closed his eyes and tried to focus on absorbing the warmth radiating from Roxas’ body.

Roxas was silent for a long time, wondering, wondering what Axel had done, what he had learned, but he didn’t want to ask, not if Axel didn’t have any information to give him.

“I will tell you as soon as I know of anything that may help,” Axel assured in a whisper, trying to stop the shivering. They got weaker the more he relaxed.

“Okay.” With a soft sigh, Roxas stroked Axel’s hair. As he let go of the curiosity, his thoughts turned instead to the shape of Axel’s body against him. Axel was a little surprised how warm he felt to Roxas considering how cold he thought he felt. To him, Roxas felt unusually warm. Especially as his heart started to beat faster, as he remembered their kiss, remembered with irritation how distracting those thoughts had been all day.

Axel couldn’t help laughing, lifting his head with a smirk.

Face flushed, Roxas sighed and let his hand fall from Axel’s head to his hip, at the place that started to transition from brown skin to ruddy fur. “It’s incredibly annoying that I can’t touch you without letting you see into my thoughts.”

“Sorry, but I can’t help that.” Axel raised his face closer to Roxas’ as his smirk grew, gently cupping Roxas’ cheek in his hand. “You just have to tell me not to touch you anymore.”

Roxas stilled with his lips parted, breathing heavy, staring at Axel’s eyes. He was nearly shaking with how much he wanted to feel it again. He didn’t want to say it out loud because he knew he didn’t have to. His hand that rested just below Axel’s shoulder blade pressed against him harder.

Axel’s eyes drifted half shut as he leaned in closer, angling up Roxas’ face. “Just give the word, and I’ll leave you alone.”

For a split-second, Roxas’ mind flashed with the possibility of losing Axel, of being alone all over again, and he softly shook his head, breathing hard as he stretched up.

Closing his eyes, Axel shivered once again then pressed his lips against Roxas’. Roxas whimpered as his hands tensed against Axel. His heart pounded and his body flushed with heat, but Axel’s did, too.

Touching Axel’s cheek, Roxas pushed him back with a soft gasp, and Axel opened his eyes to look into Roxas’. “I wish I knew what you were thinking,” Roxas whispered, tears in his eyes again. “Please, tell me what you really want with me. I don’t care if you only want to convince me to give you my soul, that won’t change anything, just please tell me the truth.”

Axel shook his head and put a hand to the back of Roxas’ head to give him a short kiss. “I want to set you free of this cage so you can live life as you want to. I want you to have the chance to truly feel the happiness and pleasure you deserve.” As a teary smile pulled Roxas’ lips, Axel smiled back and kissed him again, and he momentarily lost his stream of thought when Roxas kissed back and slid his hand from Axel’s thigh to hold his bony hip. Axel gasped in a ragged breath, broken by Roxas’ kisses. “And I want...to always...always be with you.”

Roxas froze, heart pounding all the harder. “What do you mean?” he whispered, mind frantically churning with conflicting emotions.

Inhaling, Axel stared at him mutely for what felt like far too long. He shook his head and kissed Roxas again. “I’ll be here for you, always,” he whispered.

Roxas slid both hands to the middle of Axel’s back and turned where he sat to press closer to Axel’s chest. “I’ve never felt like this before,” he breathed before kissing Axel again, more and more. “Please, give me more.”

Axel felt dizzy, something so unfamiliar he was briefly startled, and he squeezed Roxas’ shoulders for support. “Every part of me that you want is yours,” he managed before wrapping his arms around Roxas’ shoulders and leaning in to kiss him again. His head spun and his blood felt like molten rock flowing through his body when Roxas reached up to cup his cheek.

His eyes didn’t open when Roxas slowly pulled away, breathing hard. “Axel... I...”

Axel shook his head and laughed breathlessly. “I’ve never felt this, either. I never expected to, especially not for a human, and I never even wanted to, but for you...anything.”

Laughing, Roxas hugged him and pulled him down onto the bed, sighing as he settled onto the bed and snuggled into Axel’s chest. “You’re even less of a scary demon like this,” he whispered.

Laughing again, Axel held Roxas tight as he rolled on top of him, moving down to kiss his face. “Oh? You want me scary?” he purred.

Roxas beamed and shook his head, cupping Axel’s cheeks in his hands again. “I like you the way you are with me. Not an intimidating bone in you.”

“Hey, that hurts my feelings!” Axel smirked before kissing Roxas’ lips, but only once before moving to kiss the corner of his mouth. “I could burn this whole city to the ground,” he growled with mock threat.

“I-I’d like to see that,” Roxas breathed, starting to pant.

Eyes closing, Axel kissed Roxas’ cheek, then his jaw, then his throat. Roxas squirmed and moaned in response, tightly grabbing at Axel’s shoulders. Axel’s body uncontrollably shuddered as he froze, breathing hard against Roxas’ throat. “But you; you could burn me to ash without me even noticing.” He closed his eyes and moaned as he dragged his tongue up Roxas’ neck, tasting the sweat that was a mist across his skin.

Roxas’ mouth hung open as he stretched and arched his neck, pressing a hand against Axel’s shoulder blade.

“Have I kissed the sass out of you?” Axel murmured, lifting his head to stare down at Roxas with a smirk.

Panting softly, Roxas grinned. “Not quite. Perhaps you should keep trying.”

Axel’s eyes narrowed as he grinned uncontrollably and lifted his hands to cup Roxas’ head. Roxas let his hands fall to hold Axel’s forearms. “I feel like I would kiss you to death before any hint of your rudeness leaves you.”

Roxas laughed, more carefree than Axel had ever heard. “I’ve had twenty years to build up comments I couldn’t say, so I guess it’s inevitable it’s finally spilling over.”

“And I can’t tell you what a delight it is to catch them all as they fall from your lips.” Leaning down, Axel lingered for a long, deep kiss.

Breathing hard to catch his breath, Roxas smirked. “I can’t tell if that’s just because you’re a demon feeding on my evil thoughts or because you’re the softest person I could imagine for wanting to be with me as much as you do.”

Playing his fingers in Roxas’ hair, Axel leaned closer so their noses touched, smirking. “You know, I am going to have to pay you back for insulting me some day.”

Roxas smiled and hummed, lifting a hand to run through Axel’s hair. “I can’t wait to see what you do.”

Sliding a hand down to Roxas’ chest, feeling the rise and fall of his breath and the faint pulsing of his racing heart, Axel closed his eyes and kissed Roxas until he felt the body below him flushing with heat, and Roxas lifted his hands to hold Axel’s shoulders.

When he pulled away, he lingered close to feel Roxas breathing against his mouth. He rubbed Roxas’ chest and grinned as he felt fingers pressing into his shoulder blades. “Shall I show you what I can do to you?”

Still panting, Roxas stared up into Axel’s eyes and nodded before a grin split over his face. “Yes, please, show me.” His hands tightened against Axel’s back, pulling him closer. “Show me anything.”

Drawing his hand down Roxas’ side, Axel lowered himself so their chests touched, though Roxas’ shirt remained a barrier. “I’ll show you the closest to Heaven any living mortal can reach.” When his hand reached Roxas’ hip, he lifted himself to his knees and slid both hands up under Roxas’ shirt, sighing as he felt his warm, soft skin.

“Heaven?” Roxas breathed with a smile, hands laying on either side of him, unsure what to do with them. “What would a demon know about Heaven? I thought this kind of thing is sin.”

Axel laughed. “I know nothing about Heaven, but I am deeply sure that, if it’s as good as it’s supposed to be, the pleasure of physical intimacy must be close. As for sin...” As he trailed off, he slid his hands back down over Roxas’ pants, gently pressing against the heat underneath. “There are an infinitude of things far worse on Hell and Earth than consensual touch.”

Breath hitching, Roxas’ eyes closed as his hips arched and his hands tightened against the bed. “I-I’ve heard de-debates...” he murmured.

“Humans are prone to their superstitions.” Axel grinned, his own body pleasurably hot as he sank comfortably onto his haunches, keeping his weight off Roxas’ legs, and hooked his fingers in the waist of Roxas’ pants. “Shall I?”

Looking up, Roxas nodded eagerly. “Please, yes.” His eyes swept up and down Axel’s body, biting his lip. “What should I do?”

Humming softly, Axel moved back to pull Roxas’ pants down and push them off his feet. “Touch me however you would like,” he whispered, placing both hands on Roxas’ legs, drinking in the sight of Roxas’ hard member laying on his flushed skin. He hardly breathed as he slid his hands inward, first drawing across Roxas’ thighs until he could faintly feel the pulse at the innermost part against his thumbs, then upward so his fingertips grazed lightly over the soft patch of his pubic hair.

“Ah!” He looked up as Roxas flinched and covered his mouth with one hand. Roxas met his eyes and grinned. “That tickled!” he hissed.

Axel laughed. “My apologies.” He bit his lip as he looked back down, resting a thumb at the base of Roxas’ cock. He took a deep breath as Roxas gave a breathy moan. “I’ll make it up to you.” Almost shaking with anticipation, he slowly closed his hand around Roxas’ cock. Roxas’ thighs tightened as his breath caught.

Almost shaking, Axel leaned over to put a hand on the bed beside Roxas then, slowly, savouring, started to move his hand along Roxas’ shaft. Roxas’ eyes were half-closed and trained on Axel’s face as his heart beat faster, but Axel couldn’t look away from the sight of the tender skin under his fingers and the way his foreskin slid over his flushed head. Through the touch, he could feel the tingle of pleasure that was not unknown to Roxas, but not something he was very familiar with. He could feel all the heat, all the desire, so potent he couldn’t distinguish how much of it was his own. His hand moved faster, fingers tighter, and he listened to Roxas’ breathing grow harsher.

“Axel...” Roxas whispered between pants. “That... That feels so good.”

Finally looking up and meeting Roxas’ eyes, a smile broke across Axel’s face, and, without breaking the smooth and steady pace of his hand, turned to rest his hip beside Roxas’, keeping himself propped up on his elbow but sliding his hand under Roxas’ back.

Moaning, Roxas pressed one hand against Axel’s back and the other on the back of Axel’s neck then pulled himself up to kiss Axel again, aching with emotion and lust. Axel moaned into Roxas’ mouth, feeling Roxas roll onto his side, so he slid one leg between Roxas’ as he pumped his cock harder, body trembling from the strange ecstasy of feeling Roxas’ pleasure.

When he broke the kiss, Roxas’ eyes stayed closed and he panted before suddenly groaning noisily. Eyes flying back open, he hastily clasped a hand over his mouth, suddenly wary of the amount of noise he made. Axel gave a low laugh and kissed the back of Roxas’ hand. “I’m sorry, I wish you were able to enjoy this freely.”

The pleasure of Axel’s touch quickly eclipsing the flash of panic, Roxas laughed softly and put his hand back on Axel’s neck. “Don’t be sorry, just keep going,” he whispered. Hands tensing, he pulled himself close again, resting his forehead against Axel’s shoulder. His breathing billowed against Axel’s chest, punctuated by soft moans.

Smiling, Axel ducked his head to press his lips to Roxas’ shoulder, body unconsciously arching to mirror Roxas’ as the pleasure coiled tighter in his groin, and his hand stroked harder in response to Roxas’ unspoken desire for it.

“Axel,” Roxas murmured, voice low and trembling. “Axel, Axel...”

Axel’s entire body tightened and he moaned from the sound of his name on Roxas’ lips. Every moment, he felt Roxas draw closer and closer to his limit, and his hands nearly shook with the desperate need to bring him there.

Breath hitching, gasping, Roxas lifted his head, and Axel did the same, gazing into Roxas’ eyes unfocused with pleasure but staring towards Axel's mouth. “Ah- Axel, ple-“

Before he could finish, Axel kissed him again, and Roxas grabbed the back of his head. Hands and entire body tightening, Roxas’ hips jerked forward, moans muffled by Axel’s mouth as he came.

Axel’s body trembled from the overwhelming sensations, the line between his body and Roxas’ unexpectedly blurred beyond imagination. He let go of Roxas’ cock to grab his hip again.

At last, Roxas pulled back sharply with a gasp, though his hand remained tense in Axel’s hair. Eyelids hanging heavy, his chest heaved as his breath trembled with every exhale. Feeling the fog lifting from his mind, Axel slowly relaxed, moving his arms to hold Roxas in a gentle embrace.

“Wow,” Roxas whispered, and his heavy lids lifted enough for their eyes to meet. “That was amazing.”

“Heavenly?” Axel suggested with a grin.

Roxas gave a weak, tired giggle. “I think so.” His eyes fell closed again as he relaxed and his head slumped. “I didn’t really touch you... Sorry.”

Axel smiled as he gently stroked Roxas’ bangs, damp with sweat where they touched his forehead. “No, don’t be. I’ve never had such relations with a human, and what I felt through you was far more intense than I expected.”

Roxas smiled, barely clinging to consciousness. “Good. I’ll do better next time.”

Biting his lip, Axel nearly shivered with the promise of a next time. “We both will, I’m sure.” With a long sigh, he felt the last of the tension leaving his body.

As Roxas easily fell asleep, Axel kissed the top of his head and listened to and felt the quiet calm eclipse his thoughts. He then laid quiet for a little to make sure he wouldn’t wake him before gently pulling away from his embrace and reaching under the bed for the book. He sat up and set it on his legs, leaning close to Roxas’ sleeping form, slipping one arm under his head to press a hand to his back to keep him close.

When Roxas woke with the sun, Axel already had the book hidden again and was laying alongside him. When Roxas smiled, Axel felt the tiredness that hung behind his eyes and in his head lift. He unthinkingly pulled Roxas close to kiss him. Roxas moaned against his lips and squeezed him in his arms before pulling away with a gasp and radiant joy on his face.

“You’d think it should be alarming to wake up to a demon watching you day after day.”

Axel laughed and draped his arms around Roxas’ waist so that his hands rested softly on Roxas’ butt. “Hm, I can imagine.”

Roxas’ smile grew. “For me, though, it’s a relief.”

As Roxas leaned slightly away to yawn, Axel raised an eyebrow. “Don’t tell me you’re still worried I’ll just leave in the middle of the night?”

Looking away, Roxas shrugged. “I still can’t entirely rule out that I’m hallucinating. I can’t really prove that you’re really there until other people see you. Maybe the curse has been festering for long enough that it’s making me see darkness that isn’t there.”

“If you are hallucinating, do you want it to end?”

A wide smile pulled Roxas’ mouth, and he looked back to meet Axel’s eyes. “No. I want it to continue forever. Even if you’re not real, I want to always be with you.”

As his legs slid against Axel’s, he stiffened then sat up. “I’m not wearing pants,” he muttered, reaching for them, making Axel burst out laughing as he rolled onto his back.

Roxas stood to pull his pants up, wiping his stomach with his shirt. “It’s a few more days until I can have a bath.” He was red when he looked down at Axel with a crooked smile, and Axel stopped laughing with a sigh, gazing up at him. Rolling to the edge of the bed, Axel held his hand out, and Roxas took it, his fingers squeezing around Axel’s. The warm contentment was like his heartbeat; steady and strong.

Roxas’ head cocked slightly as he stepped closer, smile becoming crooked. “I wish I could read your mind as well.”

Smiling, Axel closed his eyes and brought Roxas’ hand to his mouth, softly kissing it. “I’m unimaginably happy to be here with you.”

Roxas sat beside his head, and Axel started to open his eyes when he felt Roxas’ hand on his hair. Sighing again, he closed his eyes and lifted his head to Roxas’ lap, humming with pleasure as Roxas stroked his hair.

The door lock clicked loudly, and Axel turned his face towards it. Roxas sighed, and his shoulders sagged as his hand fell into his lap. Then, taking a deep breath, he straightened his shoulders and stood, and his smile down at Axel made Axel smile uncontrollably before he turned to leave.

Axel sighed and rolled onto his back again when the door was closed once more. Laying a hand against his chest, he wondered how his heart was capable of this. Shaking his head, he ran a hand over his head to push back his hair and moved to get the book once more.

Despite the tiny script still hurting his eyes after a while, he kept himself focused, at one point unknowingly finding the deer skull and bringing it to his side to rub in his free hand.

Then he stiffened when something caught his eyes, and he sat forward as he went back to the beginning of the entry.

“Much to my surprise, his persistence seems to have paid off. The human is seemingly wholly intact living among us. Though why he wants her is still beyond me, he has done it, and I suppose, for that, he deserves to be commended. Though I am not sure what she is now, she is no longer fully human, and she is insofar capable of surviving Hell, perhaps as incapable as us of dying.”

Axel unthinkingly held his breath as he frantically scanned back through the previous paragraphs to find the names of either “him” or “her”, then he exhaled with a frown. Marluxia. He looked up to the wall. He almost wondered how he had missed Marluxia pursuing a human, but, then, those like Marluxia and himself were good at keeping their private activities a secret, and why would he have even paid attention if he’d known back then? There was only one possible person who could be this unnamed “her” who was close to Marluxia, through no will of her own. He looked back at the book.

“He has been private about the things he tried and accomplished in order to do this, however, he seems to have drawn from certain human rituals. It is interesting how even things driven by false human beliefs can hold true power over them, under certain circumstances.”

Axel held his breath as he read on until the entry ended and a new topic started. He thought for a second of ripping out the page to keep, but he realized how easily he could lose it, so he folded over the page before closing the book and standing. He took a deep breath then, holding the book close, left the room, walking the halls and listening for Roxas’ sounds.

Following the sounds of his hard breathing, he found Roxas mopping the floor and paused for a moment to smile before going to his side. “I’m going to leave again. I need to track some things down.”

Roxas looked quickly around the empty room before looking up at Axel. He gave a small, sad smile and nodded.

Sighing, Axel grinned and reached out to cup Roxas’ cheek. “I don’t know how long it’ll take, but I’ll come back when I can to check up on you.”

Smile growing, Roxas nodded again and touched Axel’s hand. “Okay,” he whispered. “I’ll be waiting.”

Axel sighed as he lingered to stroke Roxas’ cheek softly before pulling away and returning to Hell.

He gave an unconscious hum of pleasure as he listened to a distant crackling and heat radiated over his skin, looking around at the welcome glow, standing still to let the welcome heat fill him. Fingertips rubbing the spine of Vexen’s book, he felt guilty of the relief he felt when immersed in the hot, thick air stained with fragrant, flowing grey smoke. Looking at a distant pit flickering with flame, his heart pounded.

He clenched his jaw and quickly headed towards the jagged peaks of bleached rocks just beyond where he was familiar, eyes roving the piercing shapes, wandering deep into the mountainous range. While he knew of Marluxia’s tower among the rocks, he had never had reason to find out where exactly it was. As far as he knew, Marluxia himself was rarely there; however, when she was not trailing Marluxia as if leashed, Naminé was never anywhere else.

Finding vines flourishing within cracks, he sped to a trot to follow them along their branching paths until he stopped to look up at the pale stone tower choked by thick vines. Flowers ranging from the most delicate pink to the deepest, bloody red released a cloyingly sweet scent, and, as he approached, Axel saw them quiver with his every step, perhaps protesting his encroachment.

His spine crawled at the arched entrance, and he paused to look up at one flower in particular, a dusty pink rose, that hung above him and seemed to gently sway in his direction. Pausing to sneer, Axel flicked a hand at it, and a flame instantly engulfed it, taking mere seconds to burn away the petals and turn it into a crumbling blackened orb that drooped then fell to continue burning on the ground. Axel shook his head as he stepped inside. He had expected that Marluxia likely closely monitored Naminé when she was out of sight, and he was quite sure that his presence would bring Marluxia around. He hastily trotted up a set of stone steps, just hoping Marluxia wouldn’t show up too quickly.

Though his hooves were quiet, he was unsurprised that Naminé was staring towards him as soon as he reached the lone top room. Her brow furrowed and her mouth opened slightly, silent for a moment. “Um... Axel?” she asked in a low, uncertain whisper.

Axel nodded. “I guess we haven’t really been properly introduced before, have we?” His eyes strayed from her pale form to the walls, and his eyebrows raised. It was the same white stone as the exterior, but instead of vines, it was covered in detailed scenes drawn in what appeared to be chalk of what could only be places on Earth. He stared at a beach and watched as vibrant green foliage swayed and the lines creating water shifted and rippled in waves.

He looked back at Naminé and down at the chalk in her hands, which she held tighter as she shrunk back. “Why are you here?” she whispered, brow furrowed.

Hand on his hip, Axel heaved a sigh and couldn’t resist looking her up and down once. Standing and trying to make herself look small, she looked so unremarkable, regardless of what she was. Maybe she had always had powers, and that was what had caught Marluxia’s attention. “You’re human. Or you once were.”

Her eyes grew round and her mouth fell open. A broken fragment of chalk clinked as it bounced off the floor by her feet. “How do you know?”

Axel slightly lifted the book still clutched in his hand. “Vexen’s good at recording everything he’s stuck his nose into.”

“Vexen.” Naminé murmured as she looked at the book then fearfully met Axel’s eyes again. “What do you want?”

Shifting his weight as his heart quickened, Axel raised an eyebrow. “I’m just wondering how Marluxia did it. Vexen doesn’t know, but you must have some idea what he did to you.”

She stared at him a moment then drew back a step, brows sinking so a crease grew between them. “Why...do you want to know?”

Axel’s jaw clenched as he resisted the urge to cringe. Why couldn’t anyone just answer his simple questions without interrogating him first? “Idle curiosity. Do you know what he did or not?”

Her knuckles were white, hands tight fists, now glaring openly. “Not if it means any other humans will get dragged down to live in Hell.”

Axel groaned under his breath. “Pretty sure living in Hell is an improvement when you already have Hell inside you,” he muttered bitterly, shaking his head and looking at a spot on the wall where sunflowers swayed in a field.

“What do you mean by that?” she snapped.

“What are you doing coming in here and upsetting her?”

As Naminé gasped, Axel looked behind him at the entry to the room and sighed as he put on a casual smile. “What do you mean? I didn’t do anything.” He looked back at Naminé, and defiance had evaporated from her posture and she once again stood hunched and wide-eyed, looking at the floor. He noticed the images on the wall suddenly stood still.

“She was yelling about something, and knowing you, it was probably prying into places you don’t belong.” Marluxia sneered and crossed his arms, standing a little too close to Axel. “What were you talking about?”

It was just as well, if Naminé was just going to fuss about it. Axel raised the book again, and Marluxia’s expression instantly fell into a scowl. “According to Vexen, you know something about changing humans to survive in Hell.”

Marluxia frowned, glanced at Naminé, then stared at the book. From the window behind Marlixia, Axel noticed vines suddenly encroaching from outside. Marluxia gave a dangerous smile. “Hm, poking around in Vexen’s work, are you? Why would you possibly be doing that?”

Axel crossed his arms to protectively tuck the book close as he groaned and rolled his eyes. “Since when does everybody in Hell care about what everyone else is doing? Vexen’s prying I expect, but I guess I’ve been spending too much time on Earth recently to know that everyone wants to know all about my business now.”

Marluxia snorted. “Comparing me to him won’t make me any less suspicious of you.”

Feigning surprise, Axel put a finger to his chin. “Oh, that’s right, you two hit a nasty bump in your relationship when he found out just why he had his little brush with death. I forgot.”

As Marluxia scowled, Axel heard a faint giggle behind him and couldn’t stop himself from grinning. “Why are you the most insufferable, self-serving demon to ever exist? You wonder why no one trusts you,” Marluxia said in a steady, low tone.

“No, I understand perfectly, and I think it’s completely reasonable.” Axel smirked and held up the book again. “But I’m good at what I do. ‘Jack of all trades’ I believe is the phrase humans use.” Marluxia made to grab the book, but Axel quickly pulled it back and opened it to the page he had folded. “Let’s see... ‘From what I can discern from what little he has said, he drew inspiration from human wedding rituals. Using something humans believe ties them together in a way beyond themselves see-‘“

Marluxia smacked the book, knocking it from Axel’s hand, jaw tight as he glanced nervously at Naminé.

Axel scoffed as he leaned down to pick up the book, though he kept his eyes on Marluxia. “If you damage his book, Vexen’s going to be very mad at me,” Axel scolded.

Marluxia’s hands curled into fists as he shook his head, flowers swaying from his heavy antlers. “As if he has no better reasons. What do you want?”

“I’m just curious how, exactly, you did this.” Axel gestured back at Naminé. “Vexen never found out the details, and I’d like to know everything about it.”

Lifting his chin, Marluxia’s shoulders relaxed a bit. “So there’s a human that’s caught your attention.”

Though his stomach tightened, Axel kept his face neutral and voice unwavering. “Yes. Rare as they are, occasionally an interesting human comes to be. As I’m sure you know yourself.”

“Hm.” For a minute, Axel and Marluxia stared at each other in silence. Though he knew he’d have to freely offer a bit of information to draw what he needed from Marluxia, it was far more important to keep details to himself. If Marluxia could believe that Axel’s motivations were similar to his own, all the better.

Finally, Marluxia shrugged. “Hell could always use a little change. Maybe you could take me to see your human so I can see what I’d be helping out with.”

Despite the cold dread in his gut, Axel laughed. “You think I’d take you to sneak a peak at my prize? He’s only human, so I can hardly trust any other demon around him.”

Marluxia’s lip twitched. “If you insist. Are you expecting me to give you what you want for free, though?”

Axel laughed again as he shook his head. “I hardly expect you to do something out of the goodness of your heart for the first time just for me. I don’t have anything in particular I’m willing to offer at the moment, though, unless there’s something you want from me other than seeing my human.”

“Hm. Then how about you owe me a favour?”

Axel snorted and put a hand on his hip. “I’m not stupid enough to agree to something that open-ended.” Especially if it couple potentially involve Roxas.

Smirking, Marluxia shrugged. “Well, then, you have nothing to offer, do you? If you’d just let me see what’s interesting about your human, I could help, but I don’t see why I should help for no reason.”

Axel’s lip twitched, and he shook his head softly. “Well, then, looks like I need to give you a reason. What could I hold over your pretty head?” Sighing, he glanced back over his shoulder. “What do you think, Naminé?”

She looked up sharply, what little colour there was in her face gone.

Marluxia growled. “You...”

Axel smirked at him and stomped a hoof, making a burst of flames that he let burn around him. “Oh, Marluxia, you of all the demons should know not to trust me.” He raised an eyebrow. “I even played nice and gave you a chance, but you decided not to be reasonable about your requests.” He backed towards Naminé, leaving a trail of flame that grew across the cold stone floor, separating Marluxia on the other side of the room. “I don’t know what you ever wanted or needed from her, but all I care about is how much you care about her right now.” Flames crawled up the walls, and he felt them licking at his legs, caressing the fur without burning.

Naminé gasped and whimpered, but Axel kept eye contact with Marluxia, glaring at him from across the fire. On Axel’s side of the room, there was only a small circle of floor that was safe, and it was shrinking every second. Marluxia’s lip curled, and he shook his head before whirling away and disappearing from the tower. Sighing, Axel shook his head and chuckled and put a hand on Naminé’s shoulder, making her cry out in surprise. “I’ll take that as a no. Well...” He looked at her with a smirk, tears welling up in her eyes. “Since your keeper’s out of the picture, I guess I’ll talk to you some more. Let’s get to some slightly more neutral ground where he won’t be able to eavesdrop.” He grabbed her tighter to keep her from pulling away and brought her with him back to Earth, back to his forest.

He let her go and jumped with surprise as she fell to her knees. He stared as she gasped, shoulders heaving with each breath, eyes wide. Unsure what to do, Axel could only watch as she grasped a hand over her chest and her breathing slowly became steady, taking slower, deeper breaths. She looked up and there were tears in her eyes as she looked around at the trees lit by the last light of day.

“Um...” Axel shifted in place but wasn’t sure where to move. “Are... Are you okay?”

She started and looked at him for a moment before looking down at the ground. “I haven’t been on Earth since Marluxia took me away...” Her eyes closed and her head tilted back as she took a deep breath. “I forgot what the air was like. I-I was just surprised...”

Axel sighed and relaxed. “What? Marluxia said no, so you contented yourself with just drawing Earth on your walls?”

Her brow furrowed and she looked down at her own knees. “I... I can’t go on my own... I don’t know how to...to transport myself like demons do. Maybe I’m not able to at all. I don’t... I don’t want to make Marluxia mad by even trying.”

Axel gulped. Would Roxas be doomed to rely on him, trapped wherever he was unless a demon helped him? He clenched his jaw and took a breath. No, there had to be a way, and unlike Marluxia, he would help Roxas figure out how to be a demon.

Closing his eyes for a moment, he took another deep breath then crouched down in front of her. ”Well, what can you tell me about what happened to you?”

She stiffened then sharply looked up at him, brows knit in a furious glare. “I already told you! I’m not going to help you do this to another human!”

Axel winced and shook his head. “I’m helping him, alright?” He met her eyes again and grinned. “Look, I can help you out a bit, too, right? If you just help me out, I’d be happy to give you something in return.”

Her hands clenched and shook, but she continued to glare in silence.

“I know you don’t like Marluxia, I’m sure there’s something I can do to help you out with him.”

She inhaled sharply then shook her head again. “How many times do I have to say it? No! I don’t care what you do, I won’t help enslave another human!”

Axel squeezed his eyes shut and growled, standing back up. “Are you not listening? I just said I’m doing this to help him. I’m sure it’s nothing like whatever Marluxia wanted from you!”

Scowling, she straightened her shoulders, hands trembling fists at her sides. “Why should I believe you? I know you’ve betrayed everyone you know! I’ve heard of many terrible things you’ve done!”

Jaw clenched, Axel grimaced and turned away. It figured, he could win anyone over to get things his way until it truly mattered. “Dammit!” He took a could steps away, feeling grass burn up under his hooves, then whirled back towards her, gesturing at her with the book still clenched in his hand. “I’m giving you every chance I can, but I swear, if you’ve really heard such great stories about me, you should know I’ll do whatever it takes to get what I want.”

Her body trembled and tears streamed down her face, but Naminé still glared with full fury. “I won’t do it!”

Axel stormed away, breath hitching as he felt tears stinging his eyes. He paced a singed patch in front of her, keeping his head bowed to keep his face in shadows. “I swear, I’ll... I’ll fucking figure it out on my own if you won’t help me,” he hissed. “I’ve offered you an exchange of favours if you help me, but if you won’t do it, I’ll just leave you to your keeper, and I will figure it out!” He stopped sharply, nails digging painfully into his palm. “One way or another, Roxas-“ He stomped another spurt of flames but quickly kicked it out before any more foliage caught. “Shit,” he growled and turned away from her, rubbing his face to try to calm himself down.

He looked back at the black hoof marks in the grass and sighed and forced the burning embers to snuff out, swearing. Jaw tight, he looked back at Naminé, still sitting on the ground, staring at the grass below her. “Look, just...what can I do to get you to help?”

He stared at her and listened to the rustling of the forest and distant birds, his heart racing. He ran a hand over his face again and groaned. “Dammit...” He looked up at the deep, star-spotted blue sky, and his eyes stung. He felt like he had spent a while looking for the tower, and he wondered how long he had been away from Earth. He wished he could call and have Roxas appear in front of him.

He sighed and glared at Naminé. “I have to go. Just...stay here. Not that you can leave Earth on your own, but, you know, don’t wander off and get lost. I’ll be back.” He heard her sigh and decided to take that as agreement. He hesitated a moment then tossed Vexen’s book back towards her. “Take care of this. Read through it if you want. The page I folded is what Vexen wrote about you.”

He turned towards the human city and went to the street outside Roxas’ room, and, like the first time, looked up at the window, though this time Roxas was not looking out, waiting for him. He smiled to himself, relaxing at last, and entered Roxas’ room.

He looked to the bed and his smile grew across his face. Roxas sat up with a gasp. “Axel!” Beaming, he jumped to his feet, and Axel stepped forward to catch him in his arms, pulling him close. Roxas pressed into his chest, and Axel’s eyes closed as he sighed and held him tight, feeling entangled joy and relief radiating through him. “I’ve missed you so much!”

Axel hummed as he pressed a hand against the back of Roxas’ head. “You could have called for me,” he murmured, grinning.

Roxas chuckled. “I didn’t want to distract you from whatever you were doing.” He pulled back, and Axel lifted his head and tilted up the deer skull so Roxas could see his face. Gazing up at him, Roxas bit his lip for a moment then gave a small smile. “What were you doing? Can you tell me?”

Axel bit his lip as well and cupped Roxas’ cheek in his palm. “There doesn’t seem to be a cure—however,” he blurted, rushing past the bad news, “there’s a woman I met. She used to be human, but something was done to her, and she’s been living in Hell as a demon for a very long time.”

Roxas’ eyes widened and his hands tensed against Axel’s back. Axel could feel his heart pounding. “So...there’s a way for humans to become demons?”

Sighing, Axel shook his head. “Or something very close. I’m not entirely sure. The demon who did it to her wouldn’t tell me anything unless I took him to meet you, and I didn’t want to risk him hurting you. I’ve tried asking her about it, but she doesn’t trust me.”

Roxas’ lips twitched as he cocked an eyebrow. “Can’t say I blame her.”

Smirking, Axel shook his head. “I know. But I’ll convince her.” Unable to help it, he sighed and unconsciously rubbed Roxas’ cheek. “I just hope it won’t take too long. She’s quite convinced that I’m going to hurt you.”

Smile falling, Roxas looked up at Axel and leaned into his hand for a minute. Then he lifted his face to turn to the window. “Could I see her?” He looked back up at Axel, curiosity growing. “I could talk to her and try to convince her that, whatever it is, it’s my best option.”

Sharply inhaling, Axel bit his lip. He rubbed his thumb over Roxas’ cheek again, feeling his desire for this solution, but also a longing to see what could happen to him. He wondered about growing horns or developing legs like Axel’s. Axel had to laugh. “Sorry to disappoint you, but she doesn’t have any particularly ‘demonic’ features, not that I’ve noticed. Not all demons do carry features humans have pegged us with, so she doesn’t stand out. The human form is quite pliable, though; perhaps we can see if there’s a way to transmogrify your appearance if you find it too bland.”

Laughing, Roxas shoved him away, blushing, and smiled up at him. “Can I see her?” he pressed.

Axel sighed and gazed down at Roxas’ resolute stare for a moment. “Of anyone, I think I can trust her with meeting you.” He took a breath and nodded. “If you want, I’ll take you to her.”

Nodding, Roxas bit his lip, radiating nervous energy.

Axel looked at the window. “You got out through the window last time, right?” He turned back to Roxas with a smile. “I’ll make sure there’s no chance of you falling this time.”

Nodding enthusiastically, Roxas headed to the window and, with a grunt of effort, yanked it open. He looked back towards Axel just as Axel slipped past him and the wall to wait outside. Roxas laughed and leaned out the window to look at him, lingering just out of reach.

Roxas took a deep breath and slid his legs out, toes pressing into a crease between the wooden sideboards. Seeing Roxas’ face become hard, brow creased and teeth grit with determination and effort, Axel’s heart fluttered. He thought of what it must have been like the first time he left his room this way, for no reason other than to leave the house, and with absolutely nothing that could help if he should fall.

Gulping, Axel hastily fell to the ground himself, standing close to the wall and staring up at Roxas. He wished he could just take Roxas straight to the woods or even just carry him gently from the window to the ground, but humans were rooted to the Earth, and suffered when even brushing anything beyond. Perhaps, having some of Hell within him, Roxas would bear it better, but Axel couldn’t stomach the thought of risking it when the alternative risk was mere broken bones.

He reached up as Roxas came closer and held tight to Roxas’ hips. Roxas hesitated, and his scowl fell away to grin down at Axel. He leaned his weight back into Axel and made his way lower a bit more confidently until Axel moved his hands up to hold his waist.

Roxas paused again, breathing hard, then let go of the wall. With a yell of surprise, Axel stumbled back a step to catch him against his chest so his feet landed gently on the ground. Roxas breathlessly laughed and leaned back into Axel, taking a couple deep breaths before stepping away, eyes narrowed with a grin. “I fell the last couple feet last time. Nice to avoid it this time.”

Axel burst out laughing, shaking his head. “I’m the one who suffers when we’re together.”

Roxas just grinned to himself and took Axel’s hand. “Where is she?”

Squeezing Roxas’ hand, Axel turned and nodded towards where he’d came from. “She’s in the forest. Unless she’s wandered off, but hopefully not.”

Walking quickly, Axel lead Roxas through the city, helping him keep to the shadows. Roxas was tired, but more than that, he was filled with an anxious excitement, a desperate need to find out what was next, a longing to never have to go back to that house, though he scarcely let himself hope for that much.

Axel slowed down once they reached the trees so Roxas wouldn’t trip over the detritus, then sighed with relief when he saw a pale white figure still sitting on the ground. Roxas promptly filled with curiosity all over again.

Naminé sat hunched over her knees, Vexen’s book sitting open in her lap.

Axel smiled slightly. “Good, you’re still here.”

She flinched at his voice then, shaking, threw the book off of her. “He lied to me!” she screamed, and Axel flinched back, stepping in front of Roxas. “He told me it was all magic, it was all his power changing me, but it was my belief that made it true! It’s all because he made me believe that something was tying us together that it actually happened! And now I’m stuck like this!” She seemed to fold in half, arms wrapped around herself, shoulders shaking with sobs. “Please, don’t take me back to him!”

Axel gulped, keeping himself between her and Roxas for fear of what she could be capable of, suddenly afraid that bringing Roxas near any other demon was a bad idea. “I won’t, alright? I still need your help.”

She shook her head furiously, still facing the ground. “No, I won’t help you use and betray a helpless human!”

Roxas stiffened slightly, hand squeezing Axel’s as he stepped to his side. “He won’t do that.”

Naminé gasped and looked up sharply, tears falling down her face from wide, glassy eyes. She was silent a moment. “You... You’re human. The human he was talking about.” Her brow crumpled and she shook her head again. “No! You don’t understand, you don’t want to become whatever I am! You don’t have to go to Hell!”

Glancing at Axel, Roxas released his hand and stepped forward. Though he tensed, Axel stayed behind him. “I don’t have that choice,” Roxas murmured as he crouched in front of her. “I’m unholy, so I’m going to go to Hell when I die, no matter what.”

Though her eyes were still filled with tears, her expression set with furious determination. “You can’t believe anything he’s told you! Demons like him do nothing but lie!”

“It wasn’t him who told me. It was a holy man who saw it the moment I was born.” Roxas looked down. “It’s humans who have treated me as nothing but fodder for Hell.”

She sniffed but still scowled, glaring up at Axel.

“Look in his eyes.” Axel stood close behind Roxas, ready to act should she do anything. “I doubt you’ve had a chance to see a human’s soul while it still resided in their body, but you’ll know. The darkness in him isn’t anything like mortal sin; it’s a part of Hell itself.”

As Roxas lifted his head, Naminé glared at Axel a moment longer before looking back at Roxas. For a moment, she just stared at him while Roxas fidgeted with some grass in his hand, then she suddenly frowned and leaned closer, then she gasped. “I’ve...never seen anything like that,” she breathed, hand lifting to lightly lay against her mouth.

Roxas looked down for a moment then met her eyes again. “I’ve been cursed to go to Hell one way or another, but...but I don’t want to be forced to go there as just a helpless soul to burn. If I’m going, I want to go by my own choice, and I want to be able to be with Axel.”

As Naminé leaned back and sigh, Axel felt his cheeks go warm with a mixture of embarrassment and pleasure.

“Please,” Roxas whispered, brow furrowing. “If you can help me, I promise I’ll do anything I can to help you.”

Sighing again, Naminé ran a hand across her face, leaving a pale smudge of chalk mixed with her tears. “I... I’ll try. I don’t really understand everything that was done to me, honestly. But I...” She looked at her side and picked up Vexen’s book again. “I’m learning more about it, myself. I’ll figure it out.”

Even without touching him, Axel could practically feel Roxas’ relief. “Thank you. I owe you so much.”

She chuckled softly and shook her head. “Not right now, you don’t. I haven’t helped yet.”

Roxas laughed and shrugged. “Still, thank you.”

Closing her eyes for a moment, Naminé took a deep breath and held the edges of the book tightly. “Thank you, um... What’s your name?”

“Roxas.”

“Thank you, Roxas. My name is Naminé.” She smiled, small and sweet. “Just give me some time, and I’m sure I can work this all out.”

Axel sighed. “Thank you.”

She finally looked at him again with a chuckle. “I suppose you’re not quite as bad as I thought. Even if you did threaten to set me on fire.” Axel blushed again as Roxas sharply looked back at him. “But I’ll probably need your help.”

Axel nodded. “I’ll do whatever I can.” He looked at Roxas’ incredulous expression with a forced smile. “I should probably take Roxas back, though, so he can get some sleep.”

“Oh.” Naminé looked at Roxas. “Right. It’s night.” She took a deep breath and nodded. “I...I suppose I’ll see you again some other time.”

Roxas sighed as he stood back up. “Yeah. It was nice meeting you. And thank you again.”

Axel reached out, and Roxas took his hand. “Call for me if you need help with anything at all.”

Nodding absently, Naminé was already opening the book again. “Okay.”

Leading the way back, Axel grimaced, feeling Roxas’ question, feeling him waiting to ask it, as soon as they were away from Naminé.

“You threatened to burn her?”

Axel rubbed the back of his head. “I was trying to get Marluxia to talk. The one who changed her. It’s not like she would die that easily, as far as I know,” he muttered. He glanced back at Roxas who smirked.

“There’s a lot about you I don’t get to see,” he teased.

Axel couldn’t help but grimace again. “I’ve done a lot of things. I am a demon, we’re not exactly the virtuous types.”

Roxas laughed. “You’ve warned me what kind of demon you are, that you’ve killed. I won’t ask you to explain yourself. I know you’ve had your own demonic reasons.” He squeezed Axel’s hand. “I believe in you.”

Flushing, Axel smiled facing ahead of them. “Thank you.”

They went quiet once they entered town and stayed that way. At the house, Axel helped Roxas start to climb back up and stood anxiously below him for tense minutes then quickly went to Roxas’ room. Antlers hitting the window, Axel ignored the skull falling off of him as he leaned out and reached for Roxas, taking his hands and pulling him up, helping him clamber back inside.

Panting, Roxas stumbled towards the bed and flopped down onto it, staring at Axel with half-lidded eyes as he caught his breath. Axel sighed and relaxed again as he paused to pick up the skull and place it on top of the set of drawers before going to Roxas’ bed and laying alongside him. Roxas snuggled into his chest with a sigh.

Eyes closing, Axel softly stroked the top of Roxas’ head. “How long was I gone?”

“Hm. A couple days,” Roxas murmured.

Axel sighed. “I’m sorry. Time isn’t exactly the same in Hell, and I had to look for a while to find Naminé.”

Roxas’ arms lightly wrapped around Axel’s waist. “It’s okay. I understand.” He gave a sigh that fell into a yawn. “Thank you so much for what you’re doing for me. I actually have a chance...”

Playing with Roxas’ hair, Axel smiled. “You do.” He hesitated. Roxas was far too tired now to think of anything but happiness and relief. In the absence of Roxas’ thoughts, Axel couldn’t help wondering what reasons she hadn’t mentioned that Naminé could have for hating Hell. “I’m sorry I couldn’t find a way to get rid of the curse, though, so you only have one option.”

Roxas hummed. “It’s okay. I don’t think I’d want the chance to go to Heaven, anyway. Now I know so much about Hell, it’s a little scary to think of going to a place for eternity knowing so little about it.” He hugged Axel a little tighter. “I’m happy thinking I’ll be able to be stay near you.” He nuzzled into Axel’s chest. “It makes me happy thinking we can stay together, and we can keep falling for each other.”

Axel chuckled softly and kissed the top of Roxas’ head. “I’d really love that.”

Roxas hummed, body slumping. “Thank you...”

With a sigh, Axel held Roxas tighter and felt Roxas fall into sleep. He didn’t like thinking about leaving Roxas again, but he didn’t want to leave Naminé alone too long, in case she needed help or just changed her mind and slipped away. He wanted Roxas to be able to help or at least witness any progress, but Roxas needed food and a roof over his head, so he couldn’t just leave this house. Axel sighed again.

As light gradually fell in from the window, Roxas slowly moved in Axel’s arms. Axel smiled when Roxas’ hand softly rubbed his back. “I’ll go check on Naminé today,” Axel whispered, pressing his face to the top of Roxas’ head. “But I’ll come back tonight to let you know what’s going on.”

“Mmh.” Roxas lifted his face, blinking up at Axel with a smile. “Can you take me out again tonight? I want to help however I can.”

Axel beamed and nodded. “Of course.”

Humming, Roxas slipped his hands up to cup Axel’s face and pulled himself up, giving him a short kiss. “Thank you so much.”

Axel laughed and kissed Roxas again. “You’re the one who called for me. Thank you for giving me a chance.”

Roxas laughed and sat up with a yawn. “You were a nasty demon when we first met, huh? Just out to seduce me into giving you my soul.” He looked back down at Axel and touched his cheek again. “And I probably would have given it to you if I died just because you were the first one to ask.”

“I’m glad you didn’t have to.” Axel took Roxas’ hand and softly kissed his palm. “I wouldn’t have known what I would have missed.” He heard Roxas’ breath catch and flashed a smirk before kissing his fingers. “I would have missed out on so much,” he murmured.

As he smiled and bit his lip, Roxas’ heart pounded. Axel closed his eyes and kept his lips pressed against Roxas’ fingers as he felt the heat filling Roxas’ body. With only a moment’s thought, Roxas pulled his hand away and leaned down, kissing Axel again, holding the back of his head.

When Roxas pulled away, Axel gazed up into his eyes with a smile and reached up to place a hand on Roxas’ waist. “Who would have thought a human would change everything?”

Roxas smiled and kissed Axel again, cheeks flushed. “When I was little, I’d sometimes hope an angel would come to me and save me. When I was old enough to understand and know that no amount of praying had saved my soul yet, I thought divine intervention was my only chance.” He smirked. “I don’t think anyone could have expected that I would seduce a demon into being my saviour.”

Axel snickered, angling his head to kiss Roxas again, and Roxas held his head firmly to hold him in place against his lips. Feeling how Roxas’ heart raced, Axel moaned and trailed a hand up Roxas’ back. Roxas’ body ached to be touched, and Axel ached to feel him.

With a sigh, Roxas broke the kiss, panting against Axel’s lips for a minute before letting go of his head and sitting back up. Axel took Roxas’ hand in his own again as he sat up as well, smiling wryly. Roxas closed his eyes and leaned into him. “I wish we could have more time,” he whispered.

Axel silently nodded and rubbed Roxas’ thumb with his, feeling the deep ache of his longing. Seeing the night Axel had pleasured him playing behind Roxas’ eyes. Axel couldn’t help but chuckle and looked at Roxas’ face, still flushed pink. “We can find time,” he whispered back, and Roxas’ smile grew as he nodded.

When the door was unlocked, Roxas held Axel’s hand tightly as he stood, silently wishing him luck, anxious for the day to be over already, then let go to leave.

Setting his jaw, Axel wasted no time picking up the deer skull and placing it atop his head and going back to where he had left Naminé.

He looked around the shadows of early morning and spotted her standing at a tree, a piece of chalk in her hand. She jumped when she saw him, dropping the chalk, and scowled as she picked it back up. “What do you want?” she muttered, turning slightly away from the tree.

As he approached her, he stared at the tree and saw tiny scenes drawn on the bark in far more colours than just the white chalk she held. Though they were small and far less detailed than the pictures she had drawn in her tower, they still seemed to move. He watched a small flame flickering next to a simplistic human figure. “I just wanted to see how you were doing and make sure things were moving along. In case you’re too shy to call for help.”

She scowled at him. “I just don’t want you around.”

Smirking slightly, Axel nodded, leaning in slightly to watch the white figure seeming to try to withdraw from the flames. “So, what are you doing?”

Scoffing, Naminé turned back to the tree, rubbing her hand across the bark, leaving it clean. “I’m trying to remember everything that happened. It’s been such a long time...” Axel watched the white chalk leave a line of rich green. It wove and tangled across the tree, sprouting leaves that swayed. It started to grow its own branches before she hastily wiped it off again. “It’s so wrapped up in what it was like to first arrive in Hell...” As she said “Hell”, she made an orange line that quickly grew, dancing and waving, and for a second, Axel thought he could see the texture of the chalk on bark itself form the shapes of screaming faces before Naminé gave a shuddering exhale and frantically scrubbed it away.

Axel looked at her, and her eyes were squeezed shut as she drew another figure, this time with a scribble of dusty pink hair and brown antlers. “Even if I want to forget, I remember everything...” she breathed, and the same white figure was sketched out next to the first. The first immediately grabbed the smaller one even as it tried to move away. “Things just get tangled up... It didn’t happen when I was human, but I’ve been alive for so long now, my memory’s become so long I have to think about it to get things straight.” A tangled green arch hung above the two, and even as Naminé stopped drawing to wipe tears from her eyes, pink blossomed on it.

She took a deep breath before looking at what she’d drawn. “We were married. Only Larxene knew about it. And Vexen, I suppose.”

Hearing the name, Axel stiffened and looked around, but relaxed seeing Vexen’s book safe by Naminé’s feet. “He has his ways of learning anything,” Axel admitted with a shrug. “I don’t know exactly when you showed up, but I’m guessing it was before Marluxia really ruined their relationship.”

“I remember that,” Naminé murmured. “I heard everything Marluxia said about what you did.” She closed her eyes and shook her head quickly. “Don’t distract me.”

She took a deep breath, watching the two figures standing next to each other. “He married me. He said it would link us together, link our souls together so I would be like him.” Her brow furrowed as she watched the sketch of Marluxia yank on the sketch of herself, and she angrily rubbed a thumb over him, causing the image to fall still as he was wiped away. “I guess I don’t really know how much of that is true anymore.”

Axel impatiently scuffed his hooves on the ground. “Do you remember how it was done or not?”

Naminé shot him a glare. “I think so.”

“Then can you finally tell me?”

She huffed and crossed her arms. “Roxas seems nice; I’m not sure what he could possibly like about you.” Axel felt his face go red as she stared at the frozen picture on the tree. “He took me to this place... It was on Earth, but it seemed spiritually powerful.” She shook her head absently. “There was an altar of some kind there. It had this eye...*thing* on it, like it was witnessing us.”

“An eye?”

She frowned. “I think so.” She wiped the tree clean again. “I haven’t seen anything like it since.” The chalk hovered above the bark for a moment before she slowly started to draw. A white orb with a black pupil surrounded by a gold iris. Black smoke started billowing off it, and Axel felt a pit in his stomach as it turned to point directly at him.

“Xehanort’s eye,” he muttered. As Naminé glanced at him, he couldn’t stand it a second longer and reached out to wipe away the picture, just smudging the chalk and slightly scraping his palm, but making the eye still regardless.

Naminé wiped her hand over the chalk to clean the bark but kept looking at him. “What is it?”

Humming, Axel shook his head. “No idea, honestly. A long time ago, demons started seeing that eye that looks too much like Xehanort’s to be a coincidence.” He rubbed the back of his neck, staring where the drawn eyeball had been. “As far as I know, no one’s seen him in millennia. Just that eye that has been watching over us, as well as whoever all he’s possessed.” His brow furrowed and jaw tightened. “If Marluxia took it to this ritual, it must have something to do with it. He certainly wouldn’t have gotten it for no reason.”

Naminé bit her lip, and, still looking at Axel, drew herself and Marluxia standing in front of an altar with the eye floating above it, watching them. “If he is watching, do you think Xehanort needs to...approve of it for it to work?”

Axel exhaled heavily. “Could be.” He shook his head and turned, taking a couple steps away to take a deep breath. “Just getting the damned thing...” He turned back to Naminé. “Anyway, what else?”

Naminé looked back at the tree and once again, she drew a green arc over the figures that bloomed with flowers. “He gave me vows to say, and he had his own. Then we exchanged...” She paused and rubbed one hand with the other with a sigh. “At the time, I had a necklace. It was my sister’s, but he made me give it to him.” She looked down, brow furrowed, and reached to her neck. “And he gave me one he had.” She pulled a chain out from under her dress, and a pale pink stone pendant fell onto her chest. Her brow furrowed before her expression twisted into a scowl. “Then he said to complete the ceremony, we had to be intimate, so he kissed me. He hasn’t done anything like that to me since, so I don’t think he necessarily wanted to, but it lasted way too long, like there was a requirement he was trying to meet or he was waiting to sense when it was done.” She huffed. “Then he brought me to Hell. It was terrible, but I was otherwise fine, just like any other demon.”

Axel nodded, unable to stop a smile from spreading over his face. “That’s all?”

Closing her eyes, Naminé nodded and wiped the tree clean once again. “Yes.”

Biting his lip, Axel walked away again. It felt deceptively easy, but, all the same, he knew it would be difficult. He lifted the skull to smooth his hair away from his forehead then put it back in place before facing Naminé again. “Okay, let’s start with the easy part. Is there anything special about the necklace he gave you?”

Shaking her head, Naminé pulled it off, the chain catching and pulling her hair momentarily, and held it out towards him. “Not as far as I know. I’ve never sensed any enchantment coming from it, and I can take it off any time I want.” As Axel took it, she looked at the ground with a frown. “Vexen said my belief in the ritual was the pivotal thing to make it work, so I think taking my necklace and giving me his own, it was just to imitate human marriage rituals, like exchanging rings or gifts or dowries.”

Holding the stone between his fingers, Axel twisted it back and forth while nodding. It seemed like materials made in Hell, but nothing remarkable. “That makes it even easier.” He held it back out to her. “What about the place he took you? Do you think you could help me find it?”

She looked at the necklace swaying from his hand for a moment before taking it from him, nodding. “Yes, I think so. If you can take me back...” She trailed off as she pulled the necklace over her head, pulled her hair free of the chain, tucked the pendant back under her dress. “If you can take me to where I used to live,” she whispered, “I should be able to find that place again.”

Axel sighed and smiled. “Great.” He took a deep breath and looked up at the sky, streaks of white clouds muddling the blue. “I promised Roxas I’d help him leave to help out how he can tonight, so do you think we can find it before nightfall?”

Humming, Naminé nodded and fiddled with her chalk again. “Yes. We only walked for a couple hours.” She shuddered a bit. “Well...as I am now, it probably won’t take as long.” A bit of a smile flitted across her face as she nodded again. “But yes, I think we can.”

Grinning, Axel stepped towards her. “Alright, where did-“ He looked down sharply as his hoof knocked something and scowled at Vexen’s book. “Ah, right. Shit.” He stooped to pick it up, dusting off some dirt and leaves. “Ugh... I should get this back to Vexen.” He scowled and shook his head. “We’ll drop this off then go. Where did you live?”

Naminé stepped up to Axel’s side. “Twilight Town.”

Axel nodded and put a hand on Naminé’s shoulder. “Alright. Stay close, I’m sure you don’t want to be there for long, either.” As Naminé nodded and grabbed his wrist, Axel clenched his jaw and braced himself.

He heard Naminé gasp the same moment he did. He swore, feeling the wind snatching his breath away, and let go of Naminé’s shoulder, letting her keep a hold on his arm to drag her to the fortress, scowling.

As soon as they were sheltered from the wind, he exhaled and quickly looked around, seeing no one else around. He put the book down, nudging it further inside with a hoof. He quickly looked to verify that Naminé was still clinging to his wrist and immediately took them back to Earth.

Naminé gasped again and shivered, squeezing Axel’s wrist.

Axel softly chuckled as he tensed to try to hold back the urge to shiver. “Awful there, isn’t it?”

“There’s nowhere in Hell that isn’t,” she muttered, finally letting go of him.

With a smirk, Axel took a couple steps towards the town in front of them, not a place he frequented, but he knew of it. She stepped to his side, eyes locked on the town, a long, quiet sigh escaping her. He glanced at her to see tears filming her eyes. “It doesn’t even look like the place he took me away from,” she whispered. “Yet it still feels the same.”

Axel couldn’t help but bite his lip as his chest tightened. Would Roxas equally be uncomfortable or, worse, hurt no matter where he could go in Hell? He sighed, jaw tight, hating that Roxas’ life and happiness would be placed on the line as basically an experiment in an attempt to prove that Naminé was not a particularly exceptional human to be able to change as she did.

Naminé headed towards the town, almost trance-like. As she got closer, she turned to go around the buildings. Axel silently followed, absently watching the oblivious passing lives of the humans.

Suddenly, Naminé turned away from the city, brow becoming set and tense. “This way,” she whispered and walked a little faster along some invisible trail, and Axel stayed close behind.

Their silence persisted for a long time as they walked. Naminé seemed to relax, though her brow sagged towards a frown. Steeling himself, Axel finally stepped to her side. “Why do you hate being in Hell so much? It’s not like you’re just a helpless, tortured soul.”

Naminé’s nose curled as she looked at the ground for a minute before looking ahead of herself again. “It sure feels like I am.” Glancing at Axel, she sighed. “Though it doesn’t hurt me any more than it does Marluxia, the fire is blistering hot, the cold is freezing, and the wind stings. Humans weren’t designed to survive pleasantly in Hell.”

Axel’s lip twitched into a smirk. “They weren’t designed to live beyond Earth, at all, yet here you still are.”

Though she looked down again, Naminé’s lips twitched as well. “I guess it is because of Marluxia and Larxene, though,” she muttered. “They are the worst part.” With a sigh, she rubbed her hands together. “I suppose, if he wants to be with you, it won’t be as unpleasant for Roxas.”

After another moment’s silence, she looked up at Axel sharply, brow furrowed. “But be careful when he goes anywhere near the souls. I’ve gotten used to it, but their screaming is hard to handle in the beginning.”

Biting his lip, Axel nodded. “I suppose that only makes sense.”

With a sigh, Naminé nodded and looked away from him. “I still don’t understand how you came to care so much about him, though, given what you are like.”

Axel felt his face flush warm and ducked his head. “I don’t, either, but I wouldn’t change for anything now,” he muttered, watching from the corner of his eye as she nodded.

“Just don’t dare hurt him. I’m doing this for him, not you.”

Axel softly chortled. “Yeah, I know.”

She sighed again, shaking her head, but fell silent.

As they approached a dense thatch of trees, she slowed and faltered and her hands fisted at her sides. Axel peered at the trees, but the low branches and dense leaves formed a natural wall. For a moment, Naminé hesitated, then she took a deep breath and walked faster ahead, and Axel saw a gap between the trees.

As he passed though to the clearing within, Axel stumbled as a strong feeling hit him. He quickly looked around to see the area was entirely enclosed by the same dense foliage, besides the entrance. At the far end stood a dark-coloured altar. His skin prickled, though he couldn’t tell whether the energy surrounding him was more anxious or excited. He walked swiftly to the altar, close enough to make out runes carved across it, and reached out to lay his hand on the surface.

He felt a smile on his face as he shivered then looked back at Naminé. “This place has been used for rituals many times. Probably mostly by humans.” Taking a long, deep breath, he spread his hand flat on the top. “Many sacrifices have been laid here.”

Naminé sighed heavily. “Knowing now how Hell feels, if a human needs a place on Earth that is close, this seems to be it.”

Nodding eagerly, Axel walked back to her. “I’ll figure out a way to get Roxas here. For the ritual itself, now, we’ll only need Xehanort’s eye, vows, and something to exchange, right?”

Sighing again, Naminé nodded. “As far as I know, yes.”

Biting his lip and nodding, Axel placed a hand on her shoulder once more. “Alright. Let’s get out of here for now, then.” Perhaps, he and Roxas would, or even should, work together on the vows and gifts. He practically ached, longing to take the next step with Roxas.

“Axel.”

Axel jolted then beamed, looking up towards the sound of Roxas’ voice, and went to Roxas’ room.

He grinned as soon as he saw Roxas, then he heard Naminé gasp and jerked his hand back from her shoulder. He burst out laughing as she looked around in surprise. “Sorry,” he chuckled.

Roxas looked away from Naminé and shook his head at Axel. “Sorry,” he said softly with a grin. “I didn’t mean to interrupt whatever you were doing.”

“You didn’t; we just finished.” His lips twitched as he tried to stop grinning quite so much as he turned to Naminé. “Sorry, he called for me, so I just wanted to come to him quickly.”

Naminé pushed a lock of hair behind her ears, looking at the ceiling. “It’s okay. I was just surprised. Um.” She looked back at Roxas. “Are you alright?”

Roxas hesitated a moment then nodded. “Yes. How are things going?”

Smile growing across his face again, Axel stepped closer to him. “She’s told me everything she knows about how to do it. We found the place it happened, so now we just need a couple things.”

Looking up at him, Roxas smiled as well and reached out to take his hand, the feeling of his energetic excitement immediate. “That’s great!”

Axel wanted to take him into his arms, but, somehow, with Naminé right there, just the thought made his face feel warm. “We need to...to be married, I suppose.”

For a moment, Roxas held his breath, and a wash of confusion flowed through him, then he laughed softly, blushing. “Married?”

Axel couldn’t help smiling. “Not exactly in the way humans are.” He glanced at Naminé for a moment before looking back down at Roxas. “With a little demonic influence, it will bind us together, in a way, so you will be changed.”

Roxas nodded eagerly. “What do we need to do that?”

“Well, there is an object I need to find in Hell, but other than that, all we need are, I believe, just things any human marriage would.” His eyes narrowed as he lowered his head towards Roxas. “Vows and gifts to exchange.”

Flushing with excitement, Roxas nodded. “How can I help?”

Hesitating, Axel glanced at Naminé again, and she shrugged. “I think the most important thing you can do is find your gift,” she murmured. Her hand went to her neck. “Ma- Well, I and the demon who changed me exchanged necklaces. But I believe anything you can give to Axel to...I suppose physically symbolize your connection.”

Feeling sudden worry from him, Axel looked back at Roxas as he anxiously glanced around his room, but he quickly shook his head and determination pushed aside the worry. “Okay. I can do that. The vows?”

Naminé was silent a minute, brow furrowing. “I...I believe you should come up with your own.”

Axel frowned slightly. “Are you sure? I don’t want to miss any steps in doing the ritual properly.”

Shoulders sagging, Naminé sighed. “I don’t think any of the specific vows we said had any part of it. I think it was just the act of making the promises to each other.” She bit her lip a moment then looked up at them. “Honestly, he told me what to say, and all of our vows were about him protecting me, and me serving him. I don’t think you two should have anything like that.” Playing with the chain of her necklace, she frowned. “I think you genuinely care about each other, and it’s far more important to be honest than to say such awful things just to copy the ritual. You... You want something entirely different than what Marluxia wanted from me.”

Axel looked down at Roxas looking up at him, and a smile flitted across his face. “I don’t ever want you to have to serve me,” he murmured.

Roxas laughed softly. “That’s never been our relationship, has it?”

Axel had to laugh as well. “No, we have always followed your pace.”

Laughing again, Roxas reached up to hold Axel’s head and angled his own to give Axel a quick kiss on the lips, making Axel blush. “I suppose that makes me in charge.”

Grinning even as his face grew redder, Axel bit his lip. “You are.”

Hearing Naminé quietly clear her throat, Axel hastily pulled away a bit, feeling his face getting even hotter. “Um... So, I think you should come up with your own vows,” Naminé muttered, chuckling softly. “That’s all you’ll need.”

Axel nodded and looked at Roxas, biting his lip, eyes wrinkled with joy. “Uh, right, thank you.” Chuckling as well, he slipped his hand free of Roxas’. “I can take you anywhere you’d like as thanks.”

Smile fading, Naminé’s eyes glazed for a minute before she focused back on him. “Can you take me back to Twilight Town?”

Axel nodded and stepped to her side.

Roxas took a step forward. “Thank you so much, Naminé.”

She smiled faintly and nodded as Axel touched her shoulder. “You’re welcome. I’m happy to help. Let me know if you need anything else.”

As Roxas nodded, Axel did as well. “Call for me if you need anything, okay? I owe you now.”

Naminé smiled faintly. “Just let me know when you’ve done the ritual. I want to make sure it works for you.”

“Of course,” Roxas insisted.

Axel gently squeezed Naminé’s shoulder and smiled at Roxas. “I’ll be right back.”

Roxas nodded, his own smile growing. “Okay. Good bye, Naminé.”

“Good bye.”

Axel took a breath and brought Naminé back to Twilight Town.

She sighed as she stepped out from under Axel’s hand, eyes locked on the city. “Thank you, Axel.”

He nodded. “Take care of yourself. I know you’re not used to being a demon on Earth, but try not to cause a big fuss.”

Just as she laughed, Axel went back to Roxas, immediately stepping close to him again. With a soft laugh, Roxas reached up to Axel’s shoulders, pulling him closer.

“Is this real?” Roxas whispered, eyes bright, heart pounding. “Is there really a way for me to become like a demon to escape this place?”

Laughing, Axel pressed his hands against Roxas’ back. “I believe there is.”

Tears welled up in Roxas’ eyes as his smile grew, and he lifted a hand to bury in Axel’s hair, pushing off the skull to clatter on the floor. “Is there really a way for me to be able to live my own life, and to do it with you?”

Throat tightening, feeling his face getting warm again, though being alone wiped away the embarrassment. “Yes, there absolutely is.”

Roxas was kissing him, and he could only melt and hold him tight. Their shared joy all but overwhelming him, Axel wrapped his arms tight around Roxas’ waist and lifted him off the floor, and Roxas finally broke the kiss to laugh, leaning his cheek against Axel’s.

Feeling Roxas breathing hard, Axel softly kissed his cheek. Humming, Roxas nuzzled Axel’s ear. “Axel,” he whispered, and the sound made Axel shiver.

With a soft sigh, Axel carried Roxas the couple steps to the bed to set him down. “You should get rest.”

Roxas chuckled into a long sigh but nodded and let Axel go to lay down. “Yeah. You’re right.”

Laying down at Roxas’ side and hugging him, Axel closed his eyes and nuzzled against his throat. “In the morning, I’ll go back to Hell to try to find the object we need for the ritual.”

Roxas hummed and nodded as he hugged Axel tightly. “Okay.” He was silent a moment, a bit of sadness lingering in his mind, loneliness looming. “I miss spending the day with you. But I guess it won’t be for much longer.”

Axel shook his head. “No, I promise, I’ll find it as quickly as I can, and we’ll soon be able to do the ritual.”

He could feel the tingle of Roxas’ amusement and excitement. “Our wedding.”

Axel laughed and gave Roxas a squeeze. “Yes, our wedding. We can do it as soon as we have everything.”

Roxas squeezed Axel back, heart beating a little faster. “I can’t believe how quickly this is happening. I won’t just be free from my curse, but free from being human, and it’ll happen so soon.”

Finally lifting his head away, Axel had to laugh again and give a wicked grin. “Your mortal curse will be replaced with one a lot more interesting, but, in a way, you will still be cursed. Perhaps even moreso.”

Roxas laughed and pulled Axel into a quick kiss. “I’m sure I can handle it. Being a demon doesn’t seem so tough.”

Humming thoughtfully, Axel narrowed his eyes slightly. “Tough? No. As far as I’m concerned, it’s quite fun. You can help me all you want with the terrible things I get up to.”

Laughing again, Roxas gave Axel another quick kiss, overflowing with excitement, then shook his head. “I should actually try to get some sleep. Staying so excited all night won’t do me any good.”

Axel chuckled warmly, making his body relax and hold Roxas more gently. “No, I suppose it won’t. You aren’t free of the demands of a mortal body yet.”

Shaking his head again, unable to stop smiling, Roxas closed his eyes and squirmed to rest his cheek against Axel’s chest. “Something I certainly won’t miss.”

Axel smiled and softly stroked the back of Roxas’ head. “No, I imagine not. But, for now, I’ll quiet down and let you sleep.”

Roxas took a deep breath and relaxed in Axel’s arms. “Thank you.”

Exhaling deeply, Axel silently caressed Roxas’ hair, feeling him turn his thoughts away from the excitement of what could happen, his mind falling back to their kissing, face growing warm as he smiled and pressed into Axel tighter. He thought of all the time they could have together, all they could do, all he wanted. Axel smiled and resisted the urge to run his hands over Roxas’ body. He wanted to take Roxas everywhere, show him everything, do everything he wanted.

Roxas’ drifting thoughts fell out of focus, then tumbled into sleep.

Though he didn’t want to turn his thoughts away from this moment feeling Roxas sleep, Axel couldn’t help thinking back to Hell. Xehanort favoured the darkness when he was still in Hell, so it seemed a reasonable place to start. Before that, though, he would find something to give to Roxas during the ritual. He smiled to himself. Something of himself to give to Roxas. A visible, physical link. The thought made his chest feel warm.

Roxas woke with the light that crept into the room, but he kept Axel held close, happiness growing. Axel smiled and sat up so he could lean down and kiss Roxas. With a soft moan, Roxas reached up to hold Axel’s head and kiss him back before pulling away with a gasp.

Though his smile stayed, his joy abated slightly. “You’re going to have to leave for a while, aren’t you?”

Smiling faintly, Axel nodded and softly rested his hand on Roxas’ side. “I don’t know how long it’ll take to find it.”

Roxas hummed, looking down, then suddenly grinned and hastily pulled his hands away from Axel and rolled over push himself up. His eyes narrowed with his grin. “I have to get my wedding gift for you, anyway, and it might be a bit tricky.”

Laughing, Axel sat up, slouching, and raised an eyebrow. “Oh? It’s a secret?”

Blushing, Roxas shrugged. “I don’t want to disappoint you if I can’t get it.”

Axel laughed again, wanting for a second to get up and hug Roxas, but realizing he didn’t want to pry into Roxas’ mind. “I will be excited for anything you give me.”

Roxas chuckled. “I know, but I’d like to try to get you something nice.” He cocked his head, face red. “If you’re going to wear it to symbolize our union... I don’t want to insult us by just getting any worthless thing I can get.”

With a soft sigh, Axel gazed up at him. “Demons aren’t insulted easily.”

Meeting his eyes again, Roxas smirked. “I guess I’ll find out soon, won’t I?” he whispered under his breath.

Laughing, Axel stood and went to pick up the deer skull, pointing it at Roxas with mock menace and grinning. “Oh, you will. You’ll learn everything you never wanted to know about me.”

Biting his lip to stifle laughter, Roxas pushed Axel’s hand with the skull out of the way to reach up to him and kiss him once more before drawing away. “I’ll see you when you come back,” he murmured, smiling crookedly.

Axel nodded and lifted the skull to his head. “Call for me if you ever need me.”

Roxas’ eyes softened. “I’ll always need you.”

Sighing, Axel kissed Roxas’ forehead, stepping back just as the door opened.

Roxas glanced at the door then cast Axel a soft smile before leaving the room, and Axel paused only to take a deep, aching breath before going back to Hell.

He paused to stare out at the flames near and far, thinking about how frequently he had been returning to Hell just to find something, how lately he’d always return only because he had something he needed to do. He thought how soon it would just be his home again, but his home he willingly shared. Trying not to smile wistfully, he walked through the flames, feeling their caress, hoping he would be able to share how pleasant fire truly felt, hoping desperately Roxas wouldn’t be able to be burned.

He had little use for it, but he had long kept a secret stash of things he liked; things he had stolen, things he had plucked from the dead. Even not considering Marluxia’s gift to Naminé had been made in Hell, it didn’t seem right to gift Roxas something taken from the mortal realm, but he was sure centuries of collection would turn up something perfect.

Something caught his hoof, and he yelled as he stumbled, regaining his balance, yet feeling something grabbing his legs. He looked down but only caught a glimpse of green before a deafening crack ripped his ears and an excruciating shock of pain locked his muscles, making him to fall again. Vines from the stony ground and branching from the ones wrapping up his legs swiftly grabbed him, and as he blazed fire at them, another electric jolt made his body uncontrollably convulse, snapping his concentration. Extra vines grew to strengthen where he had singed them as they pinned his arms to his body, wrapped his legs together, squeezing painfully tight. As he felt them at his neck, he blasted them with fire intense enough even he winced, burning them before they could wrap around his throat.

His jaw clenched, eyes narrow as he stared at Marluxia and Larxene staring at him. Marluxia crossed his arms, a faint smirk crossing his face. “So, what did you do with Naminé? You haven’t killed her, I can feel, so where did you abandon her?”

Axel’s lip twitched. “Oh, I left her to spend some time on Earth. She says it’s been a long time, so I think she’ll be enjoying herself right now.” He took a breath and grinned, rushing ahead before they could say anything. “You can feel she isn’t dead? That’s interesting. You’d have gotten her already if you used a spell to track her, so how do you know?” As much as he didn’t want to stay as he was now, perhaps he could get a little more from Marluxia. For the first time, he actually noticed the simple chain Marluxia wore around his neck.

Marluxia sneered. “You really think you can ask me questions right now?” Axel silently grit his teeth as the vines tightened around him. He glanced at Larxene who stood with her arms crossed, smirking, electricity dancing around her hair. “Where is she?”

Axel gave a wheezy laugh. “You’re connected in a way that you can tell she’s alive, but you can’t track her down. That is very inter-“ A forced yell cut him off as another shock seized him. As he struggled to take in a breath, he felt heat building into fire against his skin, burning at the vines without his conscious instruction.

“Come on, he’s just going to keep fucking around with you,” Larxene said, rolling her eyes.

Marluxia smirked slightly. “Yes, I know. It’s just fun to see him squirm like this.”

With a laugh, Axel created an explosion of fire that made the vines wither off him and Marluxia and Larxene step back. He grunted as he was incapacitated by another bolt of electricity, and vines grabbed his legs again to pin him down. Though his whole body ached from the repeated shocks, he laughed and shook his head, yanking his hands away from the vines to keep them free. “And it takes two of you to pin me down.”

Larxene laughed as she shocked him again. “I just enjoy watching you suffer.”

Grinning, muscles clenched tight to keep them from shaking, Axel lowered his head slightly, menacing. “I could leave any time I like, I’m just interested in what you two have to say to me.”

“Oh, don’t act like you’re not a bit of a masochist.”

Axel laughed and set fire to the air around her and Marluxia, enjoying seconds of surprise and pain on their faces before Larxene shocked him again. He took a couple deep breaths, trying to steady himself, his very bones seeming to thrum with pain, and it was briefly hard to stay upright. “So, did you have anything of interest to say to me, or should I just leave and stop wasting my time with you?”

Marluxia’s brow furrowed, taking a step forward and lifting a hand threateningly, vines squeezing painfully around Axel again. “I just thought you should know that I gave her part of myself to give her this life, so I can and will find where you left Naminé—“

“Ha! You think I care?”

Marluxia’s scowl deepened. “And I will find out what human drew your interest. I will find him, and I will repay you for everything you’ve done. Even if you were able to find out how to share the powers of demons with him, that just means I can hurt him far more before he can die.”

Axel’s hands tightened, nails digging into his palms. He burned the vines off his legs to step into Marluxia’s face, flames curling in his breath as he spoke. “You dare do anything to him, I will make sure you suffer as much as a demon can.” His lip curled over his teeth. “Don’t forget you’re the one who always came to me for help. You’re every bit as hated as I am, but I am capable of things you could never dirty your hands with.”

Even though he heard Larxene laughing, he ignored her. She was an entirely separate problem, only aligned with Marluxia as the only ones who trusted the other.

“Don’t underestimate me,” Marluxia growled. Though Axel’s flaming breaths billowed close to his face, he didn’t flinch. “The only reason you did my dirty work was because you’re stupid enough to take the blame away from me.”

“Unlike you, I can take it, and I thrive anyway.” Axel realized that his hands and legs were ablaze and smirked. He had absolutely no interest in fighting both of them seriously, not at the same time, and not when he had things to do so he could get back to Roxas quickly. “Naminé is helpless because you made her like that. I won’t be making the stupid mistakes you did out of pride and fear, and Roxas won’t have anything to fear from other demons. He won’t be locked up in a tower, just waiting to be kidnapped.”

Marluxia laughed. “I wouldn’t get so cocky. He’s only human, and you have no idea how little he will be capable of.”

“Like you would know,” Axel said with a sneer. He needed to be somewhere else to avoid a fight, so next thing he knew, he was immersed in darkness.

His breath escaped him as he shivered. Though it wasn’t any colder than what he felt on Earth where humans could comfortably survive, the utter blackness that surrounded him made it seem worse. It oddly almost felt soothing against his sore skin, though. He thought of using fire to light his way, but didn’t want to draw attention to himself. He’d just follow the darkness itself, feeling where a sense of Xehanort’s evil came from, and he could find it with no problem. He had unintentionally stumbled into the eye when it was taken to other places because of that feeling before.

Gulping, he started to walk, hooves frequently kicking and stumbling over small rocks. Ordinarily, he had no reason to ever go deep into the darkness. He could hear distant weeping and faint screams, but through that and the sound of his own stumbling footsteps, he could hear running, scuffing, breathing. Slowly, he noticed a faint glow around him, and looked down to realize his hands were glowing with fire. Gritting his teeth, he lifted his hand and let the fire grow, illuminating a narrow circle of rock around him. If something was already lurking around, there was no point in trying to hide now.

His body was tense, and he walked faster. He couldn’t be sure if his growing discomfort was a sign of getting closer to the eye or not. He glared out at the darkness the flame couldn’t illuminate. “I swear, Xehanort,” he grumbled, “you let Marluxia of all the demons use your eye, so you’d better let me. Whatever the fuck it does, I need it more than he did.”

He whirled towards a far too near sound of growling, and yellow eyes flashed in the light for just a moment before disappearing. The flame grew larger over Axel’s hand, crawling up his arm. He made a conscious effort to keep himself from entirely engulfing himself in a protective wall of fire. Even for demons, fear stalked the darkness, and it made him wish he could just set the whole place ablaze.

He heard a furious snarling and rushing footsteps, and he reflexively shot a burst of fire towards the sound with a yell. A scream made him flinch, and golden eyes gleamed in the flash of light again before whirling away, a glowing patch of embers running away from him.

He paused for a moment, watching the darkness quickly swallow the speck of light, heart pounding. Then he exhaled, shaking his head and cursing under his breath, and continued. “Xehanort, let me get your damned eye and get out of here,” he growled. “I’ll be taking it to Earth, so if you want to see what’s going on up there, this is your chance, if that’s how that damn thing works.” He swore as he tripped again, but when he looked back up, he saw something white gleaming at the edge of the fire’s glow.

Holding his breath, he hastily trotted towards it and started down at it for a minute in silence. It hovered slightly off the ground, radiating something like black smoke, the pupil pointed directly at him. His jaw and fist clenched staring into the black hole of the pupil, chills radiating along his spine. He slowly leaned towards it, hesitating, freezing for a moment with his hand above it, then reached below it, lifting it off the ground. He could slightly feel the smoke as it flowed around the orb, creating a sort of barrier holding it away from solid surfaces, including his hand. As he straightened back up, he couldn’t look away from its gaze, feeling oddly afraid to look away. Shaking himself, he gulped and took a breath and returned to the clearing with the altar.

He immediately, cautiously placed the eye on the altar and stepped back, continuing to watch it staring at him. “I don’t know what this thing has to do with the ritual, but it had damn better be important,” he muttered at it. “If you really do have to accept it for it to work, you had better do it or I swear I’ll find you, and I’ll make you figure out a way to help Roxas, you hear me?”

After a moment, he clenched his jaw and made himself turn away. Shaking his head and wondering what he thought he was doing by yelling at a mystical eyeball, he went back to Roxas’ room.

Sunlight poured in, so though he was disappointed, he wasn’t surprised Roxas wasn’t there. He took off the skull and tossed it onto Roxas’ bed before slipping through the wall, a smile flitting across his face. Letting a few of the members of the household pass through him, he tried to see which door made them uncomfortable, but they went on their way unperturbed, so he turned away. “Roxas!” he called, then listened intently.

“Axel!” He heard a low, furious whisper, and he hurried across the house. Clutching a mop in an empty room, Roxas beamed when Axel entered, and Axel quickly trotted over to him, placing a hand on his cheek and giving him a soft, lingering kiss.

Roxas touched his hand, biting his lip. “You’re back,” he whispered, and Axel smiled.

“I got a little held back but I got one of the things I was looking for.” Roxas nodded silently, and Axel laughed. “I’ll keep quiet so you won’t have to talk to yourself. We can talk tonight.”

Roxas nodded again. “There’s a dinner party tonight, so I’ll be sent to my room early,” he whispered. “We’ll have plenty of time.”

“Good,” Axel said with a grin. Roxas started mopping again as Axel stepped back to give him space. “Maybe it’s strange, but I’ve missed following you around during the day. Or maybe I’ve just missed you.” He watched Roxas smile and started to open his mouth, but hesitated. He wanted to say that they wouldn’t have to be separated for much longer, but he didn’t want to taunt Roxas with his freedom while he was still just cleaning the floor for these people.

Roxas looked up with a faint smile. “Can you keep talking?” he whispered. “I want to listen to you.”

Axel grinned and laughed, crossing his arms. “I can certainly do that.” He smiled watching Roxas work, and he hummed softly. “I feel like I should have talked to Naminé more about what she was like as a human and what changed in her when she was changed because I’m extremely curious what kind of powers fully aligning with Hell will give you. You already have a little Hell in you, so you can see and hear me when no human should. Maybe you already have other abilities we have no idea about.” Roxas looked up at him with a skeptical raised eyebrow, making Axel laugh. “What? I’m being serious.” He clasped his hands behind his back and walked around Roxas once. “You sure you don’t have horns hidden in that messy hair?”

Roxas clasped a hand over his mouth to muffle laughter then quickly reached out to swat Axel’s arm.

Laughing, Axel cringed away. “I really do think you could get some demonic abilities. I wish Marluxia could have been some help, but I’m not surprised he wasn’t.” He paused, smile falling, then looked back at Roxas. “He said something when I stumbled into him, that he gave Naminé a part of himself as a part of the ritual, I think, which was how he knew she was alive. I don’t know exactly what he meant, though. Much less what it could mean for you or for us.” He rubbed the back of his head and noticed Roxas’ grim expression, so he gave a soft laugh. “Maybe I shouldn’t be talking about such serious things when you can’t talk to me.”

Roxas’ shoulders twitched as his smile returned. “Maybe not.”

Axel drifted out of the way so Roxas could keep mopping, keeping his hooves off the wet floor. “I’ll help you figure everything out, I can promise that. Naminé doesn’t know what all she can do, but you and I will figure everything out. You won’t even remember what it was like to be human.”

Roxas beamed at the floor, rubbing the mop at the floor harder and faster. Axel went up close behind Roxas and placed a hand on his shoulder, and Roxas paused. Smiling, Axel slid his hand to softly press against Roxas’ cheek, and Roxas pressed against him with a soft sigh while Axel just enjoyed feeling his excitement and joy for a moment before Roxas resumed mopping. Axel backed away to give him room once again. “We’ll have eternity to do everything you could dream of and more.”

Roxas gave a soft, wistful sigh as he stepped out of the room, finishing the last part of the floor. He paused to smile at Axel before picking up the bucket of water and walking away. With a soft, pleasant sigh, Axel started to hum as he followed Roxas through the house as he continued to clean.

Roxas sighed softly and smiled, not even reacting to the other house members who scowled and cringed away from him. Axel’s smile grew watching them, and he kept humming. How he’d love to reveal himself to them, make them realize just what they really had to fear from Roxas. He’d ask Roxas what kind of dramatic note he wanted to leave this place on. He closed his eyes, imagining allowing them to see him as he took Roxas from this place and the grand house set ablaze, the people within screaming and burning; he imagined snatching whatever souls he could, whispering to them so they knew why he made sure they suffered. He hummed more vigorously and continued watching Roxas, longing to touch him, hold his hands, embrace him. Despite himself, he felt impatient, but he stayed close to Roxas and, for Roxas’ sake, kept to himself.

When, at long last, Roxas was told to return to his room, Axel followed, brimming with excitement. As the door was closed behind them, Roxas covered his mouth with both hands, laughing into them, looking back at Axel. “You need to calm down!” he whispered furiously. “I was beginning to get nervous with how excited you were and all I could do was try to ignore it!”

Laughing, Axel grabbed Roxas into his arms, holding him tight. “My apologies, but when there’s something I want right in front of me, it’s hard to stay calm.”

Roxas laughed and twisted in his arms to reach around his neck and give him a long, deep kiss. His fingers ran through Axel’s hair, and Axel shuddered as they parted. He could feel all the nervousness pent up, coiling inside Roxas, and he could feel the excitement and longing tangled within it. “So, what did you do? What did you get?” Roxas murmured, gazing into Axel’s eyes.

Axel pulled Roxas to the bed to sit, Roxas in his lap. “Hm, well, I was going to get a gift for you, but I was confronted by Marluxia and a friend of his, so I had to leave that.” He smiled crookedly and raised an eyebrow. “I’m going to have to keep you away from him until we’re sure you’re enough demon to defend yourself.” Humming, Roxas placed a hand on Axel’s chest and wondered whether he really could gain demonic abilities. “But I had no problem finding... Well, I’ll warn you; it’s an eye that is probably connected to an extremely powerful demon who no one has seen in a very long time. It’s rather unsettling, but Naminé thinks that he may have to accept you for the ritual to work.”

Roxas’ excitement ebbed as he frowned. “Do I...have to do anything to be accepted?”

Chuckling, Axel shook his head. “No, don’t worry about that. It might not even be true.” He smiled and touched Roxas’ cheek again. “The most important thing seems to be that you believe in the ritual.”

Roxas smiled again. “I definitely do.” He wrapped his arms around Axel’s neck again. “I believe in you, and I know that we’ll be able to get me free and be together.”

Emotion stinging at his eyes, Axel pulled Roxas back into a kiss. He cupped Roxas’ face in his hand. “You’re going to have to keep such sweet things to yourself when you meet other demons,” he murmured.

Roxas laughed and wrapped his arms tight around Axel’s waist, smirking. “What? Will I embarrass you?”

Axel rolled his eyes and laughed then kissed Roxas again. He touched their foreheads together and grinned. “Yes. I have a reputation, and I don’t need a sneaky little human going around sparking unwanted rumours.” His grin grew menacing, and he held Roxas’ face between his hands. “I don’t want to have to teach you what happens when I get angry.”

Roxas grinned back, lifting himself to straddle Axel’s lap, sitting up so his face was above Axel’s, cupping the back of his head. “I’ve never been afraid of you, I don’t see that changing when you make me more powerful.”

“Ooh, I am going to have my hands full with you.” Axel’s eyes drifted shut as Roxas kissed him again. He slid his hands down to softly grip Roxas’ shoulders.

Roxas softly stroked Axel’s cheek as he drew back, raining down shorter kisses on Axel’s lips then his cheek. “Just keep me in your arms,” he whispered then gently turned Axel’s face downward to kiss his brow.

Eyes closed, Axel smiled and dropped his arms to wrap tightly around Roxas’ waist. “I can definitely make that happen.”

“Good.” Axel moaned as he felt Roxas kiss his eyelids, then Roxas was kissing his lips again, mouth open, and Axel moaned louder as their tongues touched. Roxas’ hands pressed firmly against the back of Axel’s head, holding him closer, kissing him deeper. Axel felt like he’d never be able to pull away, and he didn’t ever want to.

Even when he had to pull away for a minute to breathe, Roxas kept hugging Axel tight, and as soon as he caught his breath, kept kissing Axel with an intense hunger. Axel softly moaned into Roxas’ mouth. Roxas cupped his cheeks as he drew away again to breathe again, still kissing Axel between breaths.

“You’re-“ Axel moaned again as Roxas cut him off with a kiss. Laughing, Axel put a hand on Roxas’ chest to gently push him back. “You’re absolutely insatiable, my dear,” he teased, grinning.

Smiling crookedly, Roxas stared into Axel’s eyes, and Axel stared back. Though he was increasingly tired, Roxas churned with anxiousness and excitement, fear of starting an unknown life, but more fear of the thought of staying where he was. He gulped and kissed Axel again, trying to push the whirling vortex of emotions from his mind. “I just don’t want to let you go,” he whispered, a faint shake in his voice.

Axel smiled softly, stroking Roxas’ hair, staring into that mesmerizing blue. “You’re going to have to eventually.” He grinned crookedly. “You wanted to keep your gift for me a secret, after all.”

Roxas stilled for just a moment before laughing and frantically swatting Axel away, thinking of gold, of a ring, of impressing Axel, then rolling out of Axel’s lap so they no longer touched. “Ah, that’s just mean!” he laughed, shaking his head, laying down away from Axel, pushing Axel’s deer skull out of his way.

“As is my nature.” Smirking, Axel rested his cheek in his own hand as he turned to face Roxas again, setting the skull on the floor with his free hand.

Roxas snickered, hugging himself. “I can’t fall asleep in your arms, now, so I think that’s a loss for both of us.”

“Ooh, burned myself!”

As Axel leaned over Roxas with a grin, Roxas sighed softly. “We can do the ritual any time now, can’t we?” Axel’s smile softened as he nodded. Roxas hummed and nodded back. “I’ll get your gift. Tomorrow. I’ll try to.” His smile wavered a moment as he gulped. “I’ll try not to get caught and get in trouble, but if you’ll take me away from here soon, it won’t matter.”

Axel sighed softly. “Just be careful not to get yourself hurt. And considering how close we are to the end of this, you can call for me absolutely any time, and I can do anything I need to in order to protect you, it won’t matter what human sees anything.”

Roxas’ smile grew again, and he nodded thoughtfully for a minute before speaking again. “Have you thought about what vows we’ll say?”

Brow furrowing slightly, Axel rubbed the back of his head. “Uh, no, I haven’t. This has all been rather fast, I haven’t really stopped to think about it.”

Putting a hand over his mouth, Roxas laughed quietly. “I haven’t had much else to do but think about it.” He lowered his hand and grinned again. “But I want that to be a secret as well.”

Axel laughed. “Full of secrets all of a sudden, aren’t you?”

“Hm.” Roxas squirmed in place, rolling fully onto his back. “You can’t be the only one full of mysteries.”

“Well, I suspect that, once you’re no longer human, I won’t be able to read your mind anymore, since I haven’t felt anything like that from Naminé.” Axel raised an eyebrow. “Then we’ll both be able to keep all kinds of secrets from each other.”

“Hm.” Roxas looked at him silently for a minute then sighed softly. “I’m a little scared of how I’ll change,” he whispered. “I’m excited to be able to have a...a more balanced relationship with you, you know, rather than me just being stuck in the same place while you do everything for me, but...” His lips quirked as he looked down and shrugged. “I am scared that maybe I’ll change too much, and things will change with us too much.”

Axel bit his lip then softly stroked Roxas’ cheek, getting a taste of his fear sitting at the top of his complicated emotions. “I suppose there’s nothing either of us can really promise about that.” Though he wanted to promise that he’d always be there, that he’d always have these feelings for Roxas, that he’d never, ever want to lose his trust, lose the chance to look into his beautiful eyes and to see him smile. “But, no matter what, at least you’ll be away from this place and free of mortal turmoil, right? You and Naminé can always become good friends and figure out your new life state together.” Axel’s smile grew wider.

With a chuckle, Roxas put his hand on top of Axel’s. “I guess that’s true. It’s not like I’ll be all alone if it turns out I’m far less interesting once no longer a sad little unholy human.”

Axel had to laugh. “I can promise that I am very excited to see what you are truly like once you’re free of the petty, fearful mortal nonsense that’s been held over you your entire life. I’m sure you’ll turn out even more interesting when being unholy is no longer a problem and you can be yourself.”

Roxas pressed Axel’s hand against his cheek and smiled. “That’s a little scary to me, having no idea what I could be like under all the nonsense of mortal stresses.” He sighed then let go of Axel’s hand to roll onto his side, eyes closed and grinning. “Lay down and hold me so I can get to sleep, will you?”

Axel laughed as he obeyed, pressing up tight against Roxas’ back. “Bossy as ever,” he murmured close to Roxas’ ear.

Roxas hummed softly, radiating comfort, though he had to keep telling himself it wasn’t the time to fret about the future. “It hasn’t scared you off yet.”

“Hm.” Axel kissed behind Roxas’ ear, making him moan. “You let me know what I was in for early on.”

Roxas chuckled softly then sighed, body arching into Axel. “I guess I did.” His mind still churned, still wondered, still worried, but he kept returning his thoughts to the comfort of Axel’s embrace, to calm quiet and warmth, and the churning ebbed before falling entirely into the calm of sleep. Axel just matched his breathing to Roxas’ as it slowed, wondering if this would be the last time.

Roxas rose with the morning, and he sighed as he rolled away from Axel to look at him with a smile, reaching out to touch his cheek. Axel smiled and put his hand on Roxas’ then turned to kiss his palm. “The last day I have to leave you here.”

Roxas squirmed closer and kissed Axel’s nose. “Then I never have to see this place ever again.”

Axel smiled and kissed Roxas’ lips. “No, not ever again.”

Moaning softly, Roxas cupped Axel’s face between his hands, pushed himself up to straddle Axel’s hips and press him into the bed, then climbed off of him and stood up with a cheeky grin. Axel laughed and sat up. Roxas’ eyes screwed shut as he stretched his arms over his head, groaning softly. Smiling, Axel swiftly got up and slipped his hands around Roxas’ waist. Startled, Roxas flinched and yelped, grabbing at Axel’s arms, then laughed. He was even more nervous, even more excited, now that he was awake.

Axel nuzzled the top of his head. “I’ll try very hard not to get delayed today. I’ll set everything in my way on fire if I have to.”

Roxas laughed and put his hands on top of Axel’s, leaning back into him. He squeezed Axel’s hands and lifted them, holding them palms up in front of him. “Show me one more time?”

Axel grinned and hummed and rested his chin on the top of Roxas’ head before letting a flame spark to life and build slowly. Roxas let go of Axel’s hands to slip his below the flame, feeling the radiating heat, right on the brink of being uncomfortably hot, but he kept them in place.

Roxas took a deep breath, eyes locked on the flames. “Do you think your fire could still burn me afterwards?”

Axel hummed again, letting the fire grow carefully, keeping it away from Roxas’ skin, his hands cupped below Roxas’. “Maybe. I’d guess you’ll be more resilient, so at the very least, you’ll be able to deal with a bit of hellfire. I hope you’ll be invulnerable to fire, though, so I can share it with you.” He lifted his head and leaned over to touch his cheek against the side of Roxas’ head, staring at the fire as well. “I know very well that not all demons are entirely fireproof.”

Roxas grinned. “It’ll be good if I won’t have anything at all to fear from you.”

Axel laughed. “That’s not fair, I wouldn’t use fire against you!”

“I know, but I’d like to have you completely helpless against me.”

“I’m afraid I already am.” Axel kissed Roxas’ cheek and grinned. “You could blackmail anything out of me.”

“Would I even have to? Or couldn’t I just ask, and you’d give me anything?”

Axel gave an exaggerated groan, slumping against Roxas’ back. “Why must you always be right?”

As Roxas bit his lip and chuckled, he was cut off by the door opening. A bolt of panic shooting through him, Roxas jumped and dropped his hands to his sides, and Axel quickly snuffed out the flame so Roxas could step away. A smile flickered over Roxas’ face as he cast Axel a quick glance before heading to the door.

With a sigh, Axel smiled gently. “I’ll come back as soon as I have your gift, so try to be quick about getting mine, alright?”

Roxas turned his face to the floor as his smile grew.

Sighing again, Axel picked up the skull on the floor and replaced it on his head then took a deep breath to brace himself before returning to Hell. Standing in place, he looked around himself quickly, carefully, before striding away, looking and listening for anyone or anything out of place.

He sighed with relief seeing a familiar scorched rock, a smile flitting across his face as he pressed his palm to the black mark. With slight pressure, it slid through the stone, and he could see the beautiful things hidden within. His smile grew slightly as he ran his fingers through the warm stones and metals, looking for anything that caught his eye, pushing aside anything that felt too close to the mortal realm. Roxas deserved something no human had previously possessed, certainly not a dead and burning human.

A flash of blue caught his eye as his finger caught a metal loop. Hooking his finger, he pulled it from his hiding place. A ring inset with a black stone, he smiled as he turned it in the light. The deep black flared blue where it caught the light, even in the orange fiery glow. He thought of Roxas’ eyes, blue hiding the black shadow within, and his smile split into a grin, running his thumb over the smooth stone.

The plain silver-grey band, though, was too simple, it wasn’t enough. Backing away from the stone, he closed his eyes and held his breath, gently pushing heat into the metal to try to get a sense of its softness. He thrust it into the flames rising over a pit before opening his eyes, watching it start to glow. Even engulfed by the orange glow, the black remained dark as pitch and the blue remained bright.

The distorted wailing from the pit began to grow louder, and he frowned slightly looking down into the mass of souls, mockeries of human form writhing in the flames, as several of them surged upward and clamoured at the sides of the pit towards him. His nose curled watching them, stepping slightly back from the edge and lifting his hand to keep away from them. From time to time, their shapes twisted to resemble recognizable limbs or the front of the body that would be their head briefly came together to appear as facial features, a screaming mouth or staring eye. His jaw tightened slightly thinking of Roxas being so distorted so nothing existed of his self but pain. He stamped a hoof at the edge, forcing a wave of heat through the intense flame towards them as they reached to grab at him, making them tumble away, then shook his head and looked back at the ring, quite pliable by now.

Brow setting with determination, he leaned close to the ring, blinking away tongues of flame, and carefully moved it between his fingers to keep the band from moulding to their shape. He slowly, gently pressed the edges around the stone towards it so the metal swept towards it in a slightly more elegant shape. He lifted it from the heat to turn it in the light, delicately pressing the edges smooth.

He stepped fully away from the fire and felt his heart pound as he grinned at the ring, still holding it carefully to let it cool in shape. Lifting it to his face, he gently blew hot air over the surface and traced flowing lines along it with a fingernail.

At the sound of footsteps, he whirled around, ready to leave in an instant, then sighed as he relaxed. “Hey, Demyx. What are you doing here?”

Demyx grinned his densely-packed, sharp teeth. “Can’t a demon just go for a stroll? I was going to ask you that, anyway. What are you messing around with there?” He stared pointedly at Axel’s hands.

Axel smirked and slid the ring onto his finger, hoping it would finish cooling in shape. “That’s none of your business.”

Demyx rolled his eyes. “Oh, great, you’re up to things you won’t talk about again. Should I stay away from you for a while?”

Laughing, Axel shrugged, crossing his arms. “You should be fine. I’d appreciate a heads-up if you hear Marluxia and Larxene coming after me, though.”

“No promises.” Demyx ran a hand over the side of his head, water dripping down his head and neck, sizzling when a few drops hit the ground, then cocked his head. “So, does what you’re up to have to do with your secret?”

Axel laughed again. “Yeah, it has everything to do with it.”

“I’m not sure whether to think you’re up to something worse than usual or if you’re doing something halfway decent for once.”

“Hm, wouldn’t you like to know?”

Demyx laughed and rolled his eyes again. “I just like to know if there’s going to be too much fire getting blasted around so I can steer clear.”

Smiling crookedly, Axel looked down at the ring sitting, solid, on his finger, and ran the fingers of the other hand over it. “Well, as long as Marluxia and Larxene steer clear of me, there won’t be any more fire. You’ll see what I’ve been up to next time we run into each other.”

“Really? That’s scary. Not sure I want to know.” Demyx smirked and winked. “Just don’t drag me into it. I’ll leave you to whatever trouble you’re up to.”

“Thanks. Don’t get into trouble yourself.”

“No need to worry about that,” Demyx called as he walked away, his figure quickly shimmering and staring to fade.

Axel looked back at the ring and carefully pulled it from his finger, happy it was solid once again. Brow furrowing slightly, he breathed over it again, trying to smooth out the texture his fingertips had left. He held it out to look at it again, and a smile stretched across his face.

He slipped it back onto his finger for safekeeping, stone inward so he could hide it a little against his palm before giving it to Roxas, and returned to Roxas’ room. As the last time, it was still daytime, so he left the room and paused to call out Roxas’ name.

He hesitated for a minute, listening intently, and his smile fell. “Roxas? Can you hear me?” he shouted, wandering into the halls, looking into open doors. His brow started furrowing, and his throat felt tight as he quickly passed from room to room, looking for any sign. He thought of Roxas getting caught getting his gift and being punished for, Axel suspected, stealing. “Roxas!” he called louder, hoping to project his voice to anywhere in the house he may be unaware of while continuing to search through the house, increasingly frantic.

A group of the house’s servants stood in a whispering huddle, bringing Axel a halt as he heard, “What happened with him?”

One of the group looked around as if worried about eavesdroppers. “I just thought I was being paranoid and imagining things, you know? I’m always so jumpy just thinking about him!” The group nodded agreement around the speaker. “We’ve all noticed he’s been acting strangely lately, right? He keeps smiling like he’s up to something!”

The group nodded again, and the tallest member piped up, “It’s been so creepy!”

Wide-eyed, the main speaker nodded as well. “That’s not all! I swear, I’ve heard hooves when he’s around and when he’s in his room!” A couple of the listeners nodded, eyes wide, as if they had heard, too. “I dismissed it thinking I was just hearing things because I’m so spooked about him, but, this morning, when I let him out of his room,”—the speaker became pale white now—“I saw a fire! Just right in the air in from of him! What could that possibly be if not a sign of Hell?”

“Oh, goodness! Are you serious?”

“Of course! I immediately told the mistress, and she sent me to tell DiZ right away. Finally, she listened to him to have that thing dealt with!”

Several in the group shuddered. “Oh, gosh, everything makes sense!”

“Can you even imagine what he might have been doing?”

Axel staggered back a step, wildly looking around as if Roxas would just appear in the corner. He hurried out of the room, looking and listening for Roxas as he went, and entered the room the priest had been talking to Roxas, but even the chair was missing. “Oh, Roxas,” he whispered aloud, momentarily dizzy, shaking.

He left the house, looking around the streets as if the one-eyed priest or Roxas himself were likely to be in plain public sight, frustrated at the crowds of people blocking each other from view as they passed, oblivious of his existence. He listened for any tiny noise of Roxas, anything to emerge out of the bustle of ordinary human lives.

“Axel,” he heard, a faint breath, and he froze for a split second before exhaling softly with relief.

“Axel!” Roxas screamed, and Axel’s eyes widened with horror. Frantic, he found the building the call came from, a church, hardly noticing the instinctive shudders that ran through him as he passed holy symbols and the devout because nothing mattered more than following the lingering, ringing scream into a room far in the back.

His gaze locked with Roxas’, and the panic on Roxas’ face fell away as tears welled in his eyes. Axel shoved the priest away without a thought as he went to Roxas’ side, hardly even noticing the flames that burned around him without his instruction, wrapping around his legs and licking across the floor below him. Tied immobile to an upright wooden structure, Roxas whimpered softly as Axel cupped his cheeks in his hands, closing his eyes and leaning into it. Axel exhaled, relaxing with relief. “Roxas... You really scared me there,” he murmured, wiping tears with his thumb, and, mouth twitching, Roxas faintly smiled.

The priest scrambled to his feet by the door, backing away from the fire that began to surround Roxas without touching him, looking around in horror before settling his glare on Roxas. “What on Earth have you done?” he snapped and warily held the bloodied knife in his hand tighter.

Axel sneered as he lifted his head, looked back, and allowed himself to be visible to the man whose eye became wide and round. “More like what in Hell.”

“Good God...”

“God has no reign over this man, right?” Keeping one hand gently supporting Roxas’ head, Axel smirked as he spread out the other arm, the flames growing higher to match his anger. “And certainly none over me.”

Scrambling behind him for something as he backed away, the man started muttering a steady line of prayer. Ignoring him, Axel looked to the ropes around Roxas’ wrists, ankles, and waist and carefully burned them away without touching his skin. Roxas slumped forward without the support, and Axel lifted him from under his arms.

“Axel,” Roxas breathed, leaning into him, pressing his hands against Axel’s chest. “Thank you...”

“I’m right here, I have you,” Axel murmured, stroking his hair. As he felt warmth dripping down his torso, the sights behind Roxas’ eyes played in his head; the man over him uttering prayer, the man restraining him despite his protests, the terror at the sight of the knife, the man praying louder over Roxas’ desperate questions and pleading, the pain and screaming as his arms were each cut open, the core-shaking knowledge that he was about to die, the all-encompassing need to have Axel by his side.

With a snarl, Axel looked through the flames at the man who was at the door, shouting into the church. “You’re lucky I don’t deal in justice. I care far more for Roxas than for giving you what you deserve.” The priest whirled back at him in fury, but he turned back to Roxas and leaned over to lift Roxas into his arms. Roxas was audibly crying as he curled into Axel, hugging his neck. His mind created images of the knife in his throat and conjured imaginings of the pain, the choking, how he possibly wouldn’t have been able to say Axel’s name if he’d waited a second too long. His mind created for him the image of dying alone consumed by fear and hate. “Hey, enough of that,” Axel gently scolded. “I’m here, you’re safe now. I won’t leave you alone any more.”

Roxas pressed into his throat, holding him tighter, his blood trickling down Axel’s back. Even through his shock and fear and pain, relief and love created his overflowing tears. “I know,” Roxas whispered under his breath, and Axel shivered as Roxas stroked the back of his head. “It’s over.” He thought of a ring, stolen from the mistress’ room scant minutes before DiZ came for him, still carried in his pocket. “It’s finally going to be over.”

Smiling as his heart warmed, Axel placed a hand against the back of Roxas’ head to hold it in place. He needed to get Roxas away from this place unharmed, to get Roxas to the site of the ritual as quickly as possible. With his injuries, there wasn’t time to figure out how to get Roxas to the site safely. Terrifying as it was, he had to at last take a gamble on whether Roxas’ curse provided resilience against Hell beyond an average mortal. “Just close your eyes and hold onto me, okay? We’re going somewhere safe.”

Roxas nodded, keeping his face tucked into the crook of Axel’s neck. “I trust you.”

Axel paused a moment to look at the fire, licking the walls, now fully consuming the structure that had cruelly held Roxas, burning away the traces of his blood. The priest was gone, and he heard shouting from beyond the open door. He would let the humans deal with it. Let the damage testify the mistake they had made in mistreating Roxas. He took a breath and held Roxas tighter, bracing himself to put Roxas at grave risk.

As they passed to the clearing where the altar stood, Roxas jolted and gasped, clutching at Axel. He sharply looked up, expecting to see something incomprehensible, and was surprised by the normal mortal forest. Axel sighed heavily, a smile easing onto his face, though he kept Roxas in his arms. He could still feel the blood streaming down his back and the way Roxas’ heart pounded. “I’m so sorry I had to take you here like that.”

“I’m fine.” After a short pause, Roxas laughed softly. “It felt strange, but...not bad.” He looked around again, starting to breathe quickly despite the faint smile on his face. “Actually, it feels pretty great.” He met Axel’s eyes briefly then swore as he leaned his head against Axel’s shoulder, head spinning. His hands were chilled and clammy against Axel’s back. “I don’t feel good.”

Jaw clenching, Axel crouched and forced himself to gently set Roxas down, holding his arms to look at the cuts the priest had inflicted. Biting down fury and hatred for the man, he placed his hands on Roxas’ sides. “Let me take your shirt off to bandage your arms.”

Roxas nodded and lowered his head, and Axel gently pulled his shirt off then frantically ripped strips. He quickly, snugly wrapped then tied the already tattered fabric around Roxas’ arms one at a time. Eyes closed, breathing shallow, Roxas occasionally winced. “You’ll be fine as soon as the ritual is over,” Axel assured, hoping he was telling the truth. “Demons don’t bleed out.”

Roxas smiled and, wincing once more as the last knot was tied, looked up into Axel’s eyes, lifting his hands to cup Axel’s face. He was still dizzy, skin still clammy, but his mind was filled with resolve. “Then we’d better be quick.” Beaming, Axel nodded and helped Roxas to his feet again. Roxas froze when he saw the altar and the eye with a golden iris above it, staring at him. Unnerved yet filling with conviction, Roxas stepped away from Axel and stood in front of it, staring down at it with a scowl. Axel hovered a step behind him. “You had damn well better accept me,” he growled, and, surprised, Axel laughed.

Axel softly put a hand on Roxas’ shoulder, letting it trail down his arm to his hand. Taking a deep breath, Roxas turned towards him, expression turning soft. Axel’s smile fell suddenly. “Oh... I haven’t thought of what I’ll say yet.” He winced.

Roxas just laughed. “I’ll go first, then, and hopefully you’ll think of something.” In spite of the light-headedness, in spite of the pain still seizing his arms, he grinned and took both of Axel’s hands in his. Feeling the ring, he looked down at Axel’s hand, only able to see the plain side of the band, feeling the stone with his fingertips, then quickly met Axel’s eyes again, heart pounding, cheeks pink. “Axel, um...” He trailed off then laughed self-consciously, thinking how glad he was no one was here to see them, and Axel silently agreed. Taking a deep breath, Roxas squeezed Axel’s hands tighter. “Thinking about it, I don’t really know why you’ve offered to do so much for me; you know at this point that you could have my soul if I died, but you’re giving me a chance to keep living instead. This still could be a trick to get something more out of me, but, in spite of that, I trust you.” Axel couldn’t resist the urge to smirk and raise an eyebrow, making Roxas laugh. “Uh, what I’m trying to say, I guess, is, Axel, if this works out, I want to be with you for the rest of eternity. I want to get to know everything about you and get to know myself and share myself with you. I want to learn everything about Hell and Earth, and I want to do it with you at my side.” His expression became serious. “If my soul still has any hope for salvation right now, I give it up for the freedom to fall in love with you.” He hesitated a moment with his mouth open then blushed again, looking down with a laugh. “Um, that’s it. I hope it’s good enough.”

Axel laughed as well, stroking his fingers down the back of Roxas’ hands. “I hope so, too.” He sighed, looking down at Roxas’ hands as he continued stroking them. “I guess it’s my turn.” He took a breath, feeling his face becoming red. “Um... It would be a lie to say you’re the first human I thought was pretty enough I’d want to spend time with them.” Roxas smirked, resisting the urge to laugh at how unflattering that was, making Axel’s smile grow. “But when I felt your sadness, it seemed to latch onto me. I’ve never felt misery so profoundly before. Perhaps it was because of your affinity with Hell that it felt so different, so close that I couldn’t shake it, and I couldn’t hold myself at a distance from you. You managed to reawaken the loneliness I had long ago shaken, and I needed to know more about you and to ease that loneliness in both of us.” He licked his lips then smiled softly as he lifted Roxas’ hands. “I promise to protect you from other demons before you can do it yourself. I promise to show you everything and everywhere you want. I want to get to know you and let you know about myself, too, and I promise to do whatever I can to make sure we make that happen, even if we find ourselves less in love and go our separate ways once we do. But I won’t let us be apart until we decide to, until we’re sure our feelings have changed. I will not allow anything or anyone to do anything against us. All that matters to me is you.”

Roxas bit his lip, tears welling in his eyes. “Thank you,” he murmured, and Axel softly stroked Roxas’ hand with his fingers again before drawing his hands back, pulling the ring from his finger to present to Roxas. Roxas’ smile grew as he stared at it and held out his hand. Axel took his hand and quickly decided it would fit on the middle and gently slipped it on. Roxas’ heart was pounding as he reached into a pocket, relief flirting through him to feel the ring still inside. He pulled his hand free to hold Axel’s hand as he withdrew the ring, and Axel’s smile grew looking at it; a pair of tiny, clawed antlers supporting a gem of forest green. Roxas thought fleetingly of the satisfaction of stealing from the mistress’ jewellery box before trying out the ring on Axel’s fingers before finding it also fit on the middle.

They stood, holding each other’s hands, Roxas’ nervousness growing again. “Now we kiss?” he suggested in a whisper, beaming. His heart was pounding with anticipation, the dull ache of his pain and disorientation all but forgotten, even though he slightly swayed in place.

Axel nodded, lifting one hand to lift the skull from atop his head, lips pulling into a broad smile. “Yeah, I think we do.”

Roxas slipped his hands from Axel’s and threw his arms around Axel’s shoulders, pulling him down against his mouth. Dropping the skull, Axel put his hands against Roxas’ back, pushing into the dip of his spine then pressing up between his shoulder blades. Roxas moaned and one of his hands lifted to graze up the back of Axel’s neck and tangle into his hair.

Axel shuddered and held Roxas tighter as he could feel it; a piece of himself, of his soul, leaving his body and threading into Roxas where their lips touched. He could feel Roxas’ anticipation to change and his eager willingness to welcome whatever would happen, to welcome anything and everything of Axel himself, and he felt drawn further, closer.

Something snapped, the edges of his soul aligning with those of Roxas’, and he gasped as he pulled away with surprise. He could no longer sense the feeling of Roxas’ joy and warmth through their touch. As Roxas, startled, blinked his eyes open, Axel lightly touched a hand to his cheek and stared into his eyes.

Deep within the darkness of his pupils, his soul looked the same as ever, yet the familiar darkness that swirled within him now equally mixed with a different darkness that encompassed it, protected it, expanded to fill his mortal body with something interminable. Something of Axel himself.

Roxas’ lips parted, and his hands slid from Axel’s shoulders to his chest. “Axel...” he whispered then bit his lip. Breathing shallow, he stared back into Axel’s eyes, suddenly standing steady. He took a deep breath, then a smile ghosted across his face. “Can I see your fire again?”

Taking Roxas’ hands and cocking his head, Axel wasn’t sure what to say for a minute until Roxas, impatient, laughed and tugged Axel’s hands to hold them palms-up between them, and Axel understood. With a grin, he created a flame above his hands.

He watched Roxas’ hands lift to hover just beyond the fire, hesitating. Slowly, Roxas lowered his fingers into the fire, then immersed his whole hands. Only the soft thrum of the fire could be heard in the clearing before Roxas let out a laugh of delight. Joy flooded Axel’s body, and he laughed as well, letting the fire grow as he reached for Roxas’ hands. Roxas seized Axel’s hands then angled his arms so the fire caught the makeshift bandages that wrapped his arms, burning away the crimson-stained fabric, exposing the smooth, unscarred skin underneath.

Weaving their fingers together, Roxas leaned over the fire and looked at his perfectly healed arms then angled his face up towards Axel’s as tears welled in his eyes. “Thank you, Axel,” he breathed, voice shaking.

Laughing again, Axel shook his head, trying to shake away his own tears. “Are you ready to leave here?”

Beaming, Roxas nodded, holding Axel’s hands tightly. “Take me home.”

Leaning over, Axel gave him a soft kiss before drawing away so Roxas could see everything as they transitioned from Earth to Hell.

Eyes widening, Roxas looked around at the endless span of stone and fire. He took deep breaths as he closed his eyes and leaned his head back. He all but gleamed the most brilliant gold in the glow of the flame, and Axel couldn’t look away, nor think of a reason why he’d ever want to.

Releasing a laugh, Roxas let go of Axel’s hands to grab his hips and pull him close, still looking around them at the distant pits of flame. “This is incredible!” His eyes were alight with joy as he looked up into Axel’s face. “Could I just be dreaming all of this?”

With a grin, Axel draped his arms over Roxas’ shoulders and hummed. “Maybe. What should I do to prove if you’re not? If I remember right, the standard test whether you’re dreaming is pinching.”

Laughing again, Roxas arched into his body. “Don’t you dare!” He raised an eyebrow with a smirk. “So, you really can’t read my mind anymore,” he murmured, hands gliding gently to press against Axel’s back. “If you could, you would know I don’t really care if this is a dream, and there’s something else on my mind.”

Axel raised an eyebrow and shook his head. “No, I have lost that power over you, so I’m going to have to learn how to read you in other ways.” Smirking, he leaned his face closer. “I’m the meantime, you’re going to have to tell me exactly what you’re thinking.”

Roxas’ lips parted as he stared up into Axel’s eyes, fingers teasing up his spine. “Or maybe I should leave you hanging?” he murmured, pressing Axel closer. “It’ll be fun to see you scrambling for once.”

“How cruel of you.” Smirk growing, Axel leaned in so their noses touched. “You’ll fit in among the demons just fine.” Closing his eyes, he tilted his head to press their lips together, moving a hand to press against the back of Roxas’ head.

As his hands tensed against Axel’s shoulder blades, Roxas’ fingernails dug lightly into Axel’s skin, making his body ache to feel more. Roxas’ breath felt unusually hot when he pulled away and exhaled against Axel’s lips, hot enough to feel unusually exciting to Axel. “For now, though, I guess I’ll just tell you,” he whispered then licked his lips, “because, right now, I just want to consummate our union.” When Axel opened his eyes again, a shy yet excited smile hung on Roxas’ lips.

Axel kissed him with a low moan, and Roxas slid his hands from Axel’s back to cup his face. Caressing Roxas’ hair, Axel drew back slightly. “You’re going to have to tell me more about what you’re feeling and thinking,” he breathed, “so, be honest, did the fire hurt at all?”

Roxas laughed, beaming, and shook his head. “Not at all. It was like you said about it, it felt...good.” He caressed Axel’s cheek and gave him a short kiss. “Why? What are you thinking?”

“I’m just thinking about our privacy. I don’t have a private home around here, and I don’t want anyone to just happen upon us and watch or interrupt.” Roxas nodded, brushing their noses together, so Axel kissed him once more as he brought them to the one place he considered utterly unwelcome to any other demons, and far from the screaming of the souls.

Roxas softly gasped, eyes closed as fire leapt around them both, billowing in his short hair. Tensing slightly, Axel watched him, holding his breath, until Roxas looked at him again, grinning. “Why are you looking at me like that? I’m sure you’d know right away if I was burning up.”

Axel laughed and his body relaxed. “I’m going to have to get used to not worrying about you.”

“I like how that sounds.” Smile hovering on his face, Roxas cast a look around, at the small island of rock they stood on among a sea of churning magma, fire burning endlessly at the edge of the rock. “This is incredible,” he murmured.

“As far as I know, I’m the only demon who can tolerate the amount of heat and fire in this place. Or at least I’m the only one who can who knows this spot exists.” Caressing Roxas’ hair, Axel saw the flames burn and singe Roxas’ pants while Roxas didn’t seem to notice. “I can’t wait to show you things you could never have dreamed of.”

Roxas beamed as he looked up at Axel again. “I can’t wait to see and learn everything.” Eyes drifting half-closed, he put his hands on Axel’s shoulders and softly kissed him. He stepped closer so one leg slid between Axel’s, and Axel could swear the flames licking around them became hotter as his chest tightened. “But I’ll wait until after I get to feel you again.”

Nodding, Axel kissed him deeply and held Roxas’ hips, pushing his pants down slightly, softly squeezing and rubbing his soft, warm skin. Roxas moaned as his hand rubbed lightly against Axel’s chest, then he put his hands over Axel’s to push his pants off his hips.

Breaking the kiss, he looked down as he pulled his legs loose then leaned over to grab his smouldering pants and throw them back into the magma. Axel laughed as Roxas grinned then grabbed Axel’s shoulders and pulled him back down. He saw the pants bursting into flames the instant they touched the molten rock before closing his eyes as Roxas kissed him, and he grabbed Roxas’ hips to pull him close.

Roxas gasped softly as he broke the kiss, moving a hand to tangle in Axel’s hair. “This time, I want to make you feel good, too,” he breathed, “so please tell me what to do.”

Axel felt a shiver crawl up his spine, and he could only nod before urgently kissing Roxas again, stepping back and pulling Roxas with him until he could sit on the age-worn stone behind him. As Axel gently tugged him forward, Roxas clambered into his lap, both hands threading into Axel’s hair as their kiss grew more intense. Moaning, Roxas arched his spine so his half-hard cock rubbed against Axel’s stomach, thighs tensing on either side of Axel’s hips.

He gasped softly as he broke the kiss and relaxed to lean back only slightly. Axel panted as he slowly opened his eyes to see Roxas looking down between them, biting his lip. Trembling slightly and breathing hard, Roxas trailed his hand down Axel’s chest, fingertips gliding down his abs. When his fingers grazed over the trail of hair leading to Axel’s sheath, he licked then bit his lip again before lightly touching the protruding tip of Axel’s cock.

Axel made a conscious effort not to shiver with pleasure, squeezing Roxas’ hips. “Finally a little put-off by my demonic anatomy?” he purred, grin crossing his face.

Roxas looked back up to meet his eyes, smiling again, shaking his head. “Not even a little. You’re not scaring me away.” He looked back down, hesitating before cupping Axel’s sheath in his palm. “Just a little nervous about giving you all the pleasure you deserve,” he whispered.

Axel bit his lip as he moaned low in his throat and slid his hands further around to rub Roxas’ rear. “Nothing to be worried about,” he murmured with a teasing grin. “I’m easy to please.”

He ducked his head to kiss Roxas again, but Roxas pressed their lips together for only a minute before drawing back again, grinning. “I want to watch,” he whispered, gently rubbing over Axel’s sheath while his other hand cupped his balls.

Breath hitching, Axel felt his hips twitch against Roxas’ hands. “Whatever you want,” he breathed then, carefully, leaned back against the mound of stone behind him, looking down as well as the pink of his swelling cock slowly emerged, standing out from the dark red-brown of his fur and Roxas’ pale hands. His hands slid to Roxas’ thighs as he watched Roxas’ fingers curl around his cock. Biting his lip and moaning again, Axel uncontrollably shivered and squeezed Roxas’ thighs as he watched Roxas’ cock twitch and leak a bead of precum as he softly ran his hand up and down Axel’s shaft.

“Wow, your body’s so hot,” Roxas whispered, voice low and husky, licking his lips. He laughed suddenly and met Axel’s eyes as he leaned over so his cock brushed against Axel’s. “Both as hot as all this fire, and...” Trailing off, he looked back down Axel’s body, and his spine arched to push their shafts together. “Watching you get hard is the sexiest thing I’ve ever seen.”

Moaning as he exhaled, Axel slowly pushed his hands up Roxas’ thighs to his hips, squeezing to pull him closer with a grin as his cock throbbed with need. “I could say the same about you.” He slid his hands to Roxas’ butt, lightly pushing down to press their bodies closer together. “I wish I could do everything imaginable to make you feel good, right here and now.”

Though his breathing was haggard, Roxas laughed, rocking his hips against Axel so their cocks slid against each other. “We have all the time in the world to do everything.” He pressed a soft kiss to Axel’s lips before grinning. “Who knows? Maybe I can even think of an entirely new thing or two we could do.”

Axel laughed and pressed a hand to Roxas’ cheek and kissed him again, his other hand squeezing and guiding Roxas’ hips, encouraging him to keep grinding their cocks together.

Moaning into Axel’s mouth, Roxas tentatively placed a hand on Axel’s chest, lightly rubbing before he broke the kiss again, panting, slowing his hips. “Tell me what else to do,” he breathed, eyes half-lidded, face beautifully flushed. “What do you like?”

Axel groaned softly as he rubbed his thumb across Roxas’ lips, suddenly desiring a million things, yet only wanting to keep kissing him. He closed his eyes a moment to collect his thoughts before staring up at the gorgeous sight of Roxas naked and lit from all sides above him again. “Pull my hair,” he murmured, unconsciously squeezing Roxas’ butt again.

Roxas cocked his head slightly but nodded, moving his hand up to Axel’s hair, tenderly stroking it before tentatively closing his hand into a fist at the crown of Axel’s head. Feeling the tension against his scalp, Axel’s breath caught, and he gave a small, encouraging nod, so Roxas bit his lip, and his hand tightened and pulled.

Axel gasped as the sharp pain sent a thrill down his spine, and his hands tensed against Roxas. Roxas gasped as well, and his thighs clenched, rocking his hips forward again, his hand still fisted in Axel’s hair. “Fuck!” he breathed. “Your cock just twitched really hard...”

With a low groan, Axel pushed his hooves against the ground to find purchase to thrust up against Roxas.

Roxas shifted his weight more onto Axel’s lap to lift his other hand to stroke Axel’s cheek. “You really like that that much?”

A hazy smile crossed Axel’s face as he nodded again. “I really do.”

Grinning, Roxas softly rubbed the corner of Axel’s mouth before putting his hand back beside Axel’s head to lean over and kiss him deeply, hips resuming rocking against Axel’s. Axel’s muscles began to relax before Roxas tightened his hand again, pulling harder, and Axel uncontrollably groaned into Roxas’ mouth as his legs tensed and he felt precum leak onto his stomach.

Roxas broke the kiss with a gasp, releasing Axel’s hair to gently stroke it. “Axel... Ah...” Eyes half-open, biting his lip, he thrusted against Axel harder, faster.

Struggling to breathe, Axel pushed himself back up to lay a hand against the back of Roxas’ neck and lean over to suck and kiss his shoulder and throat. As Roxas groaned and grabbed the back of his head, fingers tangled in his hair, ring catching strands, Axel slipped his other hand between their bodies, becoming slick with precum as it wrapped around their arousals, squeezing and pumping in time with Roxas’ thrusts.

Roxas’ head arched back, and both of his hands grabbed at Axel’s hair, pulling unsteadily. “Axel! Axel!”

As an uncontrollable shudder of pleasure ran through his body, Axel wrapped his arm around Roxas’ shoulders, lips trailing up Roxas’ neck to lick his jaw. He could only breathe heavily as his thighs clenched and his body flushed akin to a sweeping inferno as his cock throbbed and released cum over both of their stomachs.

When he was able to catch his breath again, Axel buried his face in the crook of Roxas’ neck, hungrily breathing him in as his hand continued to pump both of them, his cum lubricating them. “Roxas,” he sighed, squeezing Roxas’ shoulder tighter, “no demon has ever been so happy before I met you.”

Stroking Axel’s hair, Roxas’ breath caught, then a breathless groan rippled from his throat as his hips suddenly slowed, and Axel gently squeezed and stroked him through his climax, feeling the hot cum landing on his stomach and mixing with his cum.

Slowly, Roxas relaxed and settled onto Axel’s lap, arms around his neck. One hand continued to stroke Axel’s hair as Roxas pressed a soft kiss to Axel’s temple. With a sigh, Axel closed his eyes and hummed softly. He felt Roxas’ chest expand with a deep breath. “Forever,” Roxas murmured.

“Hm?” Axel slipped his hand from between them and, after a moment’s thought, lightly placed it on Roxas’ hip.

Roxas nuzzled the side of his head then leaned back until Axel met his eyes. “Forever,” he repeated, fingers still running through Axel’s hair. “We can have this forever.”

Smile spreading across his face, Axel gave him a short kiss then grinned teasingly. “Well, we can’t just make love forever. Even I’d get tired and sore after too long.”

Roxas laughed and kissed him again. “That’s too bad, isn’t it? I’m not tired at all now.” He finally rested both hands on Axel’s shoulders and leaned back farther. “I guess I do need to learn how to be a demon, and you need to show me everything.”

Laughing, Axel stared at him, mesmerized by the flickering halo of gold and orange that lit his hair. “For me, that’s every bit as exciting as making love.”

“Hm, I guess I agree.”

After kissing Roxas again, Axel pointedly looked down, at the dripping cum on their stomachs and smeared over Roxas’ soft cock, on his own hand, and, as a result, Roxas’ hip. “Before that, though, even demons need to get cleaned off from time to time.”

Looking down as well, Roxas’ face turned red as he laughed again. “Oh. Yeah.” He bit his lip as he met Axel’s eyes again. “Uh, are there clothes I can wear that won’t burn up? You have fur down there, but I’m not exactly ready to go around stark naked if strangers are going to see me.”

With a laugh, Axel caressed Roxas’ cheek and nodded. “I’ll see what I can do for you.” Grinning wickedly, he stroked Roxas’ lip. “Maybe, if you like the idea of permanent pants, we can transmogrify your legs to grow fur as well for a bit of coverage.”

Roxas laughed as he nuzzled against Axel’s palm. “I’m not going to make any decisions like that yet.” His eyes gleamed. “Before I commit to any changes like that, I think I’d like to look around, see what demonic features catch my eye.” His grin grew. “Find out what kind of things would make you even more attracted to me.”

Axel fondly shook his head and touched their foreheads together. “I would be attracted to anything you do to your body.”

“You know what I mean.” Closing his eyes, Roxas tilted his face, and Axel moaned softly as they kissed again, gentle and slow. Roxas sighed softly when he pulled away. “I guess we have other priorities first.” He beamed. “I can’t wait to let Naminé know it worked for me.”

Cocking his eyebrows, Axel smirked. “Before or after getting pants?”

Bursting out laughing, Roxas leaned back to lightly swat Axel across the chest before pushing away to stand. “After!”

Axel chuckled but otherwise stayed quiet, staring up into Roxas’ beautiful eyes before Roxas’ mouth twitched into a grin, and he turned away, walking to the edge of the stone. With an audible sigh, he held his hands out over the flames at the edge of their island, fingers flexing among the dancing light. “I know it’s not entirely true,” he whispered, “but I feel like there’s nothing on Hell or Earth that could hurt me right now.”

Humming, Axel pushed himself up and stepped close behind him. “Hm, I’ll have to watch out in case you get reckless on me.”

Roxas laughed and leaned back into his chest. “I’m sure I’ll come back to reality soon. Just suffering from being an ecstatic, newly immortal newlywed.”

Kissing the top of Roxas’ head then resting his chin on it, Axel wrapped his arms around Roxas’ waist to hold him close, watching the endlessly flowing magma before them.

Putting his hands over Axel’s arms, Roxas squeezed softly and sighed. “I could stay here forever,” he murmured.

Chuckling warmly, Axel closed his eyes and rested his cheek on Roxas’ head, lavishing in the heat all around them and the warmth Roxas radiated. It was a little strange to feel Roxas’ body feeling so comfortably hot, but it was also intensely exciting. “You have a mere couple decades that you’ve lived, many years of which I’m sure you don’t remember well, so I’m not sure you have the correct perspective on what forever really means.”

“Hm. I guess so.” His hands relaxed, and one of them started gently rubbing Axel’s arm. “I can’t wait to get a better appreciation of what ‘forever’ really means.”

Axel sighed softly. Despite his admonition, the prospect of just standing there with Roxas in his arms for as long as they could stand it was enticing.

With a low hum, he took a breath and lifted his head, leaning back and lifting a hand to stroke Roxas’ head once. Roxas looked back up with a smile then turned and stepped away. “Let’s leave before I do hold you here forever. I’m getting very tempted to try to take a swim in all of that lava.”

Axel laughed, stepping back and taking a hold of Roxas’ hand. “I can teach you how to do that. It’s more difficult than you’d expect, but once you get used to it and know how to clean off afterward, it’s a very relaxing experience.” As Roxas’ eyes lit up, Axel laughed again.

“That sounds incredible!” Roxas grinned and reached out to take Axel’s other hand as well. “But later. I still want to see Naminé and get to look around a bit first.”

Smiling warmly, Axel nodded. “Anything in Hell or Earth you want.” Though he wanted to leave to let Roxas experience his new life as soon as possible, he lingered for a minute longer, lightly squeezing Roxas’ hands and staring, mesmerized, into his eyes. With a contented sigh, he let go of Roxas’ hand to step closer and wrap his arms around Roxas’ shoulder and taking both of them away.

**Author's Note:**

> I've been working on this since October 2018, and I'm so glad to have it finally done that, for the time being, I'm going to mark it as a completed oneshot, however, there is a chance that, if people like this and want to see all the loose threads tied up (or just want to see Axel and Roxas' adventures of being demons together lol), I'll definitely write a second part, however, how long that could take will probably be reliant on demand as I do have other things to write, so let me know! I'd love to pick back up all the plots I had to leave trailing for the sake of finishing this part!


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